


Bad Boy Nico

by RazzleDazzle2k13



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6943678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazzleDazzle2k13/pseuds/RazzleDazzle2k13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico is the school outcast, Will is on the swim team. What could ever bring the two together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Boy Nico

Will \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Every morning before first period, Will stood with his group of friends, talking and joking. He had just transferred a few weeks earlier but he felt like he had been there forever. His friend and swim team captain, Percy, was doing something stupid and making his girlfriend roll her eyes and the rest of the group laugh. However, as the sound of a motorcycle reached their ears, everyone went quiet. Will looked around very confused.

He looked towards the source of the noise. He saw a black bike pull into a parking space and a boy in a black leather jacket stepped off. He was in black skinny jeans, black biker boots and no helmet. Will inspected the kid's, very handsome, face. He had tanned skin, long black hair, and a cigarette between his lips. Will had never seen him before but apparently his friends knew who he was.

"Can't believe he's back," Annabeth muttered.  
"They said he wasn't even going to come back," Piper said.  
"I'm sorry did I miss something?" Will spoke up. "Who is he?"  
"Nico di Angelo," Jason told Will, remembering that he had never met the boy in question. "He was a student but he stopped after, an incident," Jason said, looking away.  
"Incident?" Will asked.  
"His sister died," Percy whispered, looking ashamed.

Will knew better than to question any further. It seemed like it was an uncomfortable topic and he didn't want to push it. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the boy. He was leaning against his bike smoking. He had unzipped his jacket to reveal a black ripped tee. He glared at anyone who came within ten feet of him. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and two hoops were in his ear. Even though the only visible skin was his hands and face, he had a nice tan as if he got a lot of sun. Even scowling, Will could tell he was a very attractive boy. He wasn't into the bad boy scene but he could appreciate beauty.

He was shook from his thoughts as the first bell rang. The group broke up as soon as they stepped inside, everyone going their separate ways. For his first class Will was alone but second hour he had math with Percy. Which resulted in a lot of laughing and not a lot of working. The teacher wasn't very amused but never stopped them. Third period was a choir, it was English with Percy and Annabeth which meant a lot of Percy whining and Annabeth on both their cases about doing their work. Fourth period was drama where he let Piper take the spotlight while he slept in the back on the prop couches. After that the group met back up for lunch. They all grabbed trays and sat outside to enjoy the nice weather. They had all taken a place around the fountain, Jason with Piper in his lap, Annabeth with Percy's head in her lap and they had been joined by Thalia and Luke who were a year ahead of everyone so they didn't even show up until third period.

"Hey Thalia, your brother said you have a gig coming up, is it true?" Annabeth asked the girl with black and purple hair. She nodded.  
"Yeah, we got booked to play at some shitty bar," the goth girl said.  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Piper asked.  
"Because it's on a Thursday," she said with a shrug, taking Luke's sandwich from his hands and taking a bite. He glared at her but didn't object.

"Don't forget about us little people when you become all big and famous," Percy said as Annabeth fed him blue jelly beans. Will still didn't understand his obsession with blue things but Will didn't even bother to question it. He was sure the boy would dye himself blue if given the chance.

"You will be the first I forget Jackson," Thalia said, glaring at him. He blew her a kiss and she rolled her eyes. Annabeth playfully smacked him.  
"Do you smell that?" Luke asked, sniffing the air.  
"It smells like cigarette smoke," Jason said.

They looked around and saw Nico, leaning against a tree not to far from them, puffing on a cigarette. Thalia went pale at seeing the boy.

"When did he get back?" Thalia questioned.  
"Today," Percy told her.  
"I didn't think he was going to come back," she whispered out.  
"We didn't either," Piper said.  
"Have any of you tried to talk to him?" Thalia asked, looking from her group to the biker boy.

They all shook their heads and stared at the ground. Will was dying to know what happened but he figured it was a sore subject and bit his tongue. He just sat there in the awkward silence that followed until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and the start of fifth period. The group went their separate ways yet again. Will had Spanish for his next class where he sat next to a hispanic boy who constantly had nuts and bolts in his hands but spoke fluent spanish so it made up for his ADD. Leo had been the one to first show him around the school and introduced him to Jason and the others. Sometimes he hung out with the group but he spent most the time in the shop room.

"Hey Leo," Will greeted, taking a seat next to the dark haired boy.  
"Sup?" Leo said without even looking up.  
"Do you know Nico?" Will asked, wanting to figure out what was going on. Leo actually stopped what he was doing to look up at the blond.  
"Why do you ask?" the hispanic boy asked, abnormally serious. Will shrugged.  
"He showed up today and everyone is acting weird," Will said, trying to play it off like it was no big deal.  
"He's back?" Leo asked, clearly shocked.  
"Yeah. Everyone kept saying they couldn't believe it though," Will explained.  
"After what happened.." Leo was cut off by the teacher walking in and demanding silence of the class.

Will wanted to know what was going on with the Nico kid but so far he was only coming up with more questions. He sighed and tuned out the teacher, absentmindedly doodling in his notebook. Eventually the bell rang and the class started to leave.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Will asked Leo.  
"About?" the darker boy asked.  
"Nico," Will reminded him.  
"Uh, I gotta go," Leo said, bolting out the door.

Will sighed and trudged to his next class. It was his last class before final period, which was swim class. It was anatomy and he actually looked forward to it. He wanted to be a doctor and he needed any science classes he could get. He walked all the way through the building to the back where his science class was. He took his normal seat near the front and pulled out his text book.

He wouldn't have even noticed that there was a new kid in the class had it of not been for the stench of smoke that followed him. Will wrinkled his nose and looked up to see none other than Nico di Angelo walking past him to take a seat in the very back of the room. He took a seat and kicked his feet up on his desk, glaring at anyone who even bothered to look at him. When his glare turned to Will, the boy gave him a curious glance before Will turned back around, his cheeks heating up from being caught staring.

Thankfully the teacher walked in and started teaching so Will was able to push Nico from his mind and concentrate on class. Near the end of class the teacher made an announcement.

"So I know we are still a bit early in the semester but I have changed the final to a written test and switched the project to now. I know that those of you who have had friends in this class so you know what I am talking about," a few groans could be heard throughout the class but Will ignore them and listened intently. "Normally I group you up in teams of four and make you build a model of the human body, showing how the different muscles and veins and how they connect together. However, as I said, I wanted to change things. Instead of only having one week and four partners, you are going to have two weeks and only two of you will be in the group. I don't care how you do it, be it physical or digital, so long as you two do it together. So now for groups, Travis Stoll and Ethan Nakamura, Connor Stoll and Rachel Dare, Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano," the teacher kept calling names. Most of the class seemed happy with their partners. It wasn't until he called out Nico di Angelo that the whole class went silent. Those without partners crossed their fingers and prayed that their name wasn't called. "William Solace," the teacher said.

All eyes turned to Will who sat there dumbstruck. The blond turned back to look at the goth boy who had a bored expression on his face. Will had wanted to know what had happened to the boy but that wasn't how he had wanted to figure out.

Nico \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nico didn't want to go back to school but his father made an offer he couldn't refuse. So, here he was, three months since he had last stepped foot on the grounds of the school. His father had already told him to behave and he had broken that rule the second his bike was off. He pulled out his pack of smokes and started smoking on school grounds. No one dared say anything to him. They were in shock from just seeing him there. He knew he looked different, he felt different too, he was different from that boy they had all known.

He had filled out in his absence. He was no longer looked underfed and scrawny. He had hit a growth spurt and filled out. His black hair hadn't been cut in those three months and it was down to his shoulderblades, not that he minded, he could tie it back to keep it out of his face. He had also traded in his baggy clothes for a leather jacket and skinny jeans.

He made it to his last period by some miracle and only a pack of cigarettes. He had wanted to murder Percy and his group the second he saw them but he held himself back. He did notice a new guy in their group and he wondered if the new guys knew of the evil that lurked in the group. Lucky for Nico he didn't have any classes with the evil group, that was until Anatomy where he saw the new guy in Percy's group. He brushed past him, trying to ignore his bright blue eyes. As he took his seat in the back, he knew all eyes would be on him but he was shocked to find those electric blue eyes on him. His glare faltered for a second but lucky for him, the blond turned away and he was able to compose himself.

Nico sat through the boring lecture and drew in his notebook while the teacher drew on and on until he stopped to talk about a group project. Nico scowled at the man who seemed to be avoiding his gaze intentionally. Out of everything, a partner project. Nico despised the entire school and they were all terrified of him so a group project was not in his best interest. However, his father had warned him of the price of failure. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and deal with it. He listened with half an ear as groups were picked. He didn't pay attention until his name was called and the class went silent. He made sure to put on his most threatening look and glared at everyone. Then, to his surprise, he heard a name he didn't know which could only mean one thing, it was the blond in Percy's friend circle. Nico scowled harder, wanting nothing to do with the kid. He sighed as the teacher finished calling out pairs and instructed them to meet for the rest of the class. The blond made his way to Nico with a smile plastered to his face. He sat down right next to him and held out his hand.

"Hi I'm William but all my friends call me Will," the blond introduced himself. Nico looked at his outstretched hand before crossing his arms over his chest and snickering.  
"Friends? You mean Percy and his merry band of losers?" Nico asked. Will awkwardly retracted his hand and looked at Nico in shock.  
"Uh what?" was all Will could manage to respond.  
"Of course they haven't told you," Nico muttered, looking away from the blond.  
"What is that supposed to mean? Told me what?" Will asked, wondering if it had anything to do with the 'incident' they had talked about earlier.  
"Why don't you ask them about what happened three months ago," Nico suggested.  
"What happened?" Will asked, wanting answers.  
"Ask them," Nico glared at him.  
"Fine, fine," Will held his hands up in surrender. "Can we talk about the project? How do you want to do this?" Nico shrugged.  
"I really don't care. The only thing I'm good at is drawing. We can do it digital if you are okay with that," Nico told him.  
"That's fine with me. I'm not the artsy type but I do know all the stuff we have to have on there. So I could tell you and you could draw it?" the blond suggested. Nico shrugged.  
"That's fine. I really don't care, I just need to pass," was all the raven-haired boy said.  
"Okay. Well do you want to trade numbers so we can set up meeting times?" the overly chipper blond suggested.

Nico pulled out his phone and tossed it to Will. He wasn't even ashamed that his lock screen was Sebastian and Ciel from Black Butler in an intimate pose and his home screen was Shinya and Guren from Owari no Seraph. He wasn't ashamed of his interests and he loved to freak people out anyway. Will seemed unfazed as he punched in his number and sent himself a quick text so he could have Nico's number. He tossed the phone back and Nico pocketed it.

"So have you seen Book of Circus?" the blond asked Nico. For a second he was a bit too shocked to answer. Did the blondie really know Black Butler?  
"Yes only about three times," Nico said. "I couldn't get enough of Joker."  
"But Snake," Will said with a laugh.  
"Joker will always be one of the best characters. He had a great character design and he was just a great character over all," Nico argued.  
"But Snake was amazing and all his snake were gorgeous," Will defended.  
"Yes Snake was also a good character," Nico said to pacify the boy.  
"I'm glad we can agree," Will said with a nod. Nico rolled his eyes at the boy just as the bell rang. "I'll send you a text for when I'm free and we can meet up to start the project."  
"Whatever," Nico said, shoving everything into his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

He left the class without a backwards glance. He had went through the entire class without a smoke and he was dying for one. Plus he had actually had to talk to someone and that in and of itself was exhausting. He walked to his bike, ignoring the stares and pushing through the crowds. He made it to his beloved bike and pulled out a cigarette, he put it between his lips and fished around in his pocket for his lighter. His fingers wrapped around the cold plastic and he pulled it out, lighting the cancer stick and taking a long drag. He felt the smoke fill his lungs and he exhaled. He felt himself calm down a bit and he climbed on his bike and started it, reving the engine and enjoying the purr of his perfect machine. He kicked the kickstand back and took off, pulling onto the road and gunning it.

He sped the whole way to his house. He barely even slowed down as he reached his driveway and zoomed up to the driveway. He drove his bike into the garage, noticing his father's car was gone but his step mom's was there. He sighed and walked to the door, he opened it just enough to look into the kitchen to see if anyone was there. Once he was satisfied that it was clear, he bolted upstairs and to his room. He almost made it too but his step mom, Persephone, seemed to know his plan and was waiting at his door with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk of victory plastered on her face.

"So how was your first day back?"  
"E 'stato un inferno," Nico grumbled in his native tongue.  
"Non essere come quel figlio," she said with a frown.  
"I can't help it. I told you I didn't even want to go back," he complained.  
"It's for the best," she said softly.  
"I've had a long day. I don't feel like having this fight again. Just send my food up later," Nico said, ducking under her and disappearing into his room.

He threw his bag on his messy desk and collapsed on his bed. He hadn't been lying when he said the day had been exhausting. In the last three months he had had nearly no human contact aside from his family. Then today he had to face the entire school. It was mentally and physically exhausting. His eyes were fluttering shut when he felt his pocket vibrate. He groaned and fished it out, squinting at the bright screen.

_From Will S.- Hey. I just got out of swim practice. Would Friday be a good day to meet up? Swim practice was canceled that day_

_To Will S.- You really woke me up for a school question? I don't give a fuck. Whatever_

_From Will S.- Well aren't you just a happy one. It's only four and you were asleep? Lazy. Where do you want to meet?_

_To Will S.- And why can't we just discuss this at school? I'm going back to bed and putting my phone on silent_

_From Will S.- See you tomorrow :D_

Nico let out a frustrated growl before silencing his phone and throwing it to the opposite side of his bed. He stripped off his jacket, which was now stuck to his sweaty body, and threw it on top of his phone. He rolled on his side and passed out, not even waking up for dinner, not that either of his parents tried to wake him. They understood he was going through a hard time but they had only ever wanted what was best for him.

Nico woke the next morning to his step mother throwing open his curtains. He let out a whine before rolling over pulling a pillow over his head.

"Time to get up, breakfast is ready and you have school to get to," she said in a sing song voice, pulling the pillow off his head.  
"Don't wanna," he mumbled, grabbing another pillow.  
"Nico di Angelo don't make me get your father in here," she threatened.  
"You wouldn't dare," he said, peeking up from under the pillow.  
"Don't try me," she said with a sweet smile.

The last time Hades had woken up Nico up, he had been drenched in water and that was not a nice wake up call. Nico tried to avoid having his father wake him up at any cost. He glared at his mother but stretched and sat up. Persephone smiled at him before leaving the room. He rubbed his eyes and glanced down, he had fallen asleep in the same clothes he had worn the previous day. He stripped out of his pants and shirt and stepped into his bathroom for a quick shower.

He started the water and stripped out of his boxers, stepping into the steady stream of warm water and letting it wash away his tiredness. He washed his hair and quickly washed his body before reluctantly shutting off the water and stepping out. He dried off, wrapping his hair up in a towel and grabbing a pair of boxers to throw on. He walked into his closet and grabbed another pair of black skinny jeans and searched for a shirt. He settled on his black sleeveless Asking Alexandria Don't Pray for Me shirt. He got dressed, doing his best to towel dry his hair before he brushed it out and pulled it back. He grabbed his jacket, phone, and backpack before heading downstairs to grab breakfast. Both his father and mother were sitting at the table eating.

"I see Seph got you up without my help," Hades said with a sly smirk.  
"She used you as a trump card," Nico grumbled, grabbing a piece of bacon and munching on it.  
"Get a plate and sit with us," his step mom scolded.  
"Not hungry," Nico said, finishing off his piece of bacon and grabbing another. His father glared at him.  
"Sit down and eat," he instructed. Nico shook his head and threw on his jacket.  
"I have to go to hell, remember? You two forced me to. I would hate to be late," Nico said, sarcasm dripping from every word.  
"Nico," his father said with a warning look.  
"Gotta go," was all the boy said, making a break for the garage.

He jumped on his bike with an hour left until school started. He wanted to use the time to enjoy the fresh hair and prepare himself for the day ahead of him.

Will \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Will woke up right before the sun, as always. He crept past his siblings, grabbing his jogging clothes on the way out. He quietly changed in the bathroom, not even bothering with the lights and snuck outside for his morning run. He loved being up before everyone else. It gave him a sense of freedom. Hardly anyone was outside, the street lights were just flickering off, and the air was cool and crisp. It was a great way to wake himself up and clear his head, which he was in desperate need of.

He had wanted to ask Percy about Nico while they were at swim practice but with a tournament coming up in just over two weeks, practice was kicked into overdrive and they had no time to talk. Then after practice he decided to try and talk to Nico to see what he could get out of him but all he got were snarky replies and then silence. He knew he was going to have to face his group of friends and figure out what happened but truth be told, he was a bit scared of what he might find out.

So he ran, and ran, and ran some more. Pushing the thoughts aside and enjoying the feeling of his muscles burning so early in the morning. He stopped at a park that he used as his halfway mark and stretched, catching his breath and getting a drink of water, before continuing on. The sun was finally up along with more people. Will turned and jogged back home, enjoying the feeling of the warm sun on his back. As he jogged, his thoughts drifted to Nico yet again.

The boy was a mystery to him. It seemed the whole school knew something Will didn't and it made him that much more intrigued. It also didn't help that the boy wasn't bad looking either. Plus after talking to him for just a few minutes, Will knew he wasn't from the country, his accent was definitely Italian. It made the pull Will felt towards him even stronger. He just wondered if he would figure out what made the boy so angry. He seemed to walk around with a chip on his shoulder and the weight of the world on his back.

He didn't have much more time to dwell on the subject as he arrived home and his younger brother Austin attacked him the second the door opened. He smiled and ruffled the boy's blond hair before setting him back down. His other younger sibling, Kayla, walked out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand and an apron on and rolled her eyes at the two boys.

"Austin I told you to finish your homework, Wiliam you reek, go shower," she scolded the two. Will laughed and held his hands up in surrender.  
"Okay, okay. I was on my way there anyway," he said with a smile.  
"Make it quick, breakfast is almost done and your run lasted longer than normal," she told him, disappearing back into the kitchen.  
"Yes mom," Austin mumbled, sticking his tongue out at the doorway. Will laughed and ruffled the boy's hair once again before he went to shower.

Will quickly showered. He didn't want to face the wrath of his younger sister. She might be a year younger but she had a temper like no other and Will was not afraid to admit he got scared when she got mad.

After he got out of the shower and dried off, he wrapped the towel around his waist and snuck into the room he shared with his brothers. Lee was asleep, probably having just got in from work and Michael was gone. Will quietly grabbed his clothes and went back to the bathroom to change. He changed into the white skinny jeans and blue v-neck he had picked out. He brushed his messy blond hair and decided to leave it because he was feeling lazy.

He walked to the kitchen where Kayla and Austin were already eating. Will took a seat and made himself a plate.

"Did you get your homework finished Austin?" Will asked the youngest child. He nodded.  
"It wasn't hard," the boy said with a mouthful of eggs, earning a smack from his sister.  
"Don't talk with your mouth full," she chided.

"Sorry," he mumbled.  
"Kayla, everything going okay for you?" Will asked. She nodded.  
"There is a school trip coming up and I need a signature though," she told her older brother.  
"Give it to me. I'll leave a note for Lee," he told her. She nodded and kept eating. Will checked his phone and saw they only had two minutes until the bus showed up. "Come one, it's time to go," he told the two.

Austin jumped up and to grab his stuff and make his way outside. Kayla pulled out the slip and handed it to Will before making her way outside with her brother. Will dug around in his backpack and ripped out a piece of notebook paper and wrote out a quick note for his older brother, placing it on the refrigerator along with the slip. He grabbed his backpack and walked outside to see his siblings off. No sooner were they on the bus did Percy show up to pick him up. He climbed in the back of Percy's car, greeting both of them. The ride to the school was filled with Annabeth talking about homework and tests and what the boys needed to be doing and after two minutes Will just tuned her out. He wanted to ask about Nico but he held his tongue because he wanted to ask the whole group, someone was bound to give him answers. So he waited until they met up with Jason and Piper but he dared bring up the subject.

"So uh, I wanted to talk to you guys about something," Will said, interrupting whatever everyone else was talking about.  
"What's up?" Percy asked.

"It's about Nico," Will started, causing everyone to look away. "I got partnered up with him for a project and he told me to ask you about what happened three months ago," Will finished, hoping they wouldn't all hate him. Percy looked like he was close to tears, Jason pulled Piper in close, and Annabeth was looking torn between Percy and Will. Eventually the blonde girl sighed.

"There was an accident about three months ago that involved Percy, Zoe, Thalia, and Nico's sister," she started. "Bianca, his sister, she.. She didn't make it out alive. Zoe couldn't stand the guilt and she moved away, Percy and Thalia took it pretty hard too but of course Nico took it the worst. He lashed out and attacked Percy, blaming him, and then he just up and vanished. No one had heard a word from him since it happened and that had been three months ago," Annabeth told him quietly.

"His sister died?" Will asked, unable to believe what he had just heard.  
"No one was supposed to have gotten hurt. We just went out for some fun," Percy mumbled. Annabeth rubbed his back and tried to soothe him.  
"It wasn't your fault," she consoled him. "You don't have to talk about it, it's okay."

"No, Will should know what happened. He is going to be around Nico and.. I don't want him to only get one side," Percy told his girlfriend. "Bianca, Thalia, and Zoe were all in a band together and they went out after a gig one night. They had a few drinks and found their way to the beach. They called me because no one else answered. I went to get them and when I got there they had decided to go for a swim. I managed to convince Zoe and Thalia to get out but Bianca went out further. I went in after her but the waves were so big and a storm was coming. I lost sight of her. I heard her scream for help but I couldn't see her. I could here Thalia and Zoe yell for me but I had to get to Bianca. I finally saw her and she went back under. I swam to her and pulled her to shore but it was too late. The ambulance made it and they said they she had passed before we had even made it. I tried to save her. I tried," Percy's eyes started to water and Annabeth pulled him in and rubbed his back.

"Nico has blamed Percy since. A week after it happened, Nico came to the school and tore it apart looking for Percy. When he found him he lashed out and attacked him. I had to pull him off of him, then after that he just vanished," Jason finished. "He hates us because we are Percy's friends and he thinks that," he was cut off by Percy.  
"He thinks that it should have been me," the dark haired boy finished.  
"I.. I had no idea," Will said, shocked.  
"Well it's not something that we like to talk about," Piper told him.  
"Now the cat's outta the bag. I don't blame you if you never want to talk to me again," Percy said, looking a bit dejected.

"Percy, I can understand that Nico is upset and hurt and he needs someone to blame but I don't blame you," the blond reassured him.

Before anything more could be said on the subject, the first bell rang and everyone broke apart and headed their own separate ways. Will spent the whole day with his mind on Nico. The poor boy must have went through hell. He could never imagine losing any of his siblings. He couldn't wait to get to his last hour just so he could talk to Nico. Lunch was pretty much silent, everyone still a bit depressed about the morning's topic. When Thalia and Luke joined and asked why the bad mood, Annabeth told them that Will knew about Bianca and Thalia ran off with Luke on her heels. After lunch Will only had to make it through one class before he got to see Nico. He practically sprinted to the science classroom and took a seat in the back next to the chair Nico had occupied the previous day.

The final bell rang, signaling the start of class and no Nico in sight. Will looked around but couldn't find the raven-haired boy anywhere. All the other groups were paired up and going over their projects and Will was left alone. He pulled out his phone to shoot Nico a text.

_To Nico di Angel- Where are you?_

_From Nico di Angel- Office_

_To Nico di Angel- Why? We have class._

_From Nico di Angel- Apparently it is highly frowned upon to smoke on school grounds_

_To Nico di Angel- It is kinda illegal_

_From Nico di Angel- I know. That was kind of the point. Sadly they aren't going to expel me._

Will was thinking of a reply when he caught the smell of cigarette smoke. He looked up in time to see Nico walking in.

"Mister di Angelo, how nice of you to grace us with your presence," the teacher said.  
"I figured the class could use something to gossip about," Nico said loud enough for everyone to hear. The teacher pointed to his seat but Nico was already on his way.

He sat down and threw his feet up just like the previous day. He pulled out a notebook and tossed it at Will. He looked at Nico in confusion but the boy was on his phone. Will flipped through the pages until he happened upon a sketch that looked like the human skeleton. Will studied it in awe. It had every bone in the correct place. He flipped to the next page and both side views, flipped another page and got the back view, and the final page which was a top view without the skull. He looked at Nico in awe.

"You did this last night?" the blond asked.

"No I did some of it during third period and the rest during lunch and my trip to the office for which I was in there all of fifth period," Nico said, still on his phone. Will's jaw dropped. He had sketched out four anatomically correct in less than two hours. "What?" Nico asked, looking up at Will who hadn't said anything. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, everything looks.. Right," the blond said in shock.

"Okay then," Nico said with a shrug, going back to his phone. "So if those are right I will start sketching them on a computer. Once I have them rendered we can throw them into a 3D animator and you can tell me where the muscles and veins go."

"How long is all of this going to take?" Will asked, worrying they wouldn't finish in time.  
"I'll have the bones on the computer and rendered by Friday. You can come over and make sure everything is okay and in the right place. The muscles and veins will probably take a bit longer because I will need you to tell me what goes where so that depends on your schedule," Nico told him.

"Will we get it done in time?" Will asked. Nico shrugged.  
"I don't know. Are you friends going to allow you around me?" Nico asked, turning his attention to Will.  
"They told me what happened," Will said softly.  
"Ah so I'm sure you know what a monster I am and how perfect Percy is," Nico grumbled.  
"Why would you say that?" Will asked.  
"Because Percy is the Golden Boy, trying to save poor Bianca di Angelo as she got drunk and went for a swim and in comes Nico to beat up the poor grieving boy who couldn't save the drunk girl," he said, his voice rising.

"That's not what they said," Will replied.  
"Oh? Please do enlighten me," Nico said bitterly.  
"You were hurt and upset, you needed someone to blame, I get it. You chose Percy and that's understandable. He was there but he couldn't save her and you feel like he didn't try hard enough," Will told him. "Of course I'm just telling you how I see it."  
"Whatever. He is the star swimmer. He could have saved her!" Nico yelled, getting up from his chair. "No one even fucking cares anyway. They've all forgotten her! Well not me, I will never forget! All of you!" Nico shouted, bolting from the room.

Everyone looked looked at Will with sorry expressions. They all felt bad that he got stuck with the explosive bad boy. Will didn't feel sorry for himself though. He was rather glad he got stuck with the Italian. Sure Nico was rough around the edges but Will knew how lonely he must feel. He knew that there was more to the boy then just what he let others see. He proved that with his outburst. He cared deeply for his sister and he was still grieving. Will was sure that he would never fully get over the loss but he knew that with time he would learn to cope. He wanted to help him with that too. He felt a strong pull to the boy for his own personal reasons and now, after hearing his story, he wanted to help him more than ever.

Nico \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nico didn't care that his parents expected him home to scold him for smoking at school, he didn't care about Will's opinion, he didn't care about Percy, he only cared about one thing and one thing only, his sister.

He jumped on his motorcycle and sped to the cemetery that she was buried in. He ran to her grave and collapsed against her headstone. The second his ran his fingers over her name he started crying. He missed her so much and he would give anything to get her back.

"I miss you Bee," Nico sobbed. "Why did you have to leave me? I'm stuck in this hell all alone. You were all I had and now I'm all alone," the boy cried, hugging the headstone.

Eventually he was all cried out and exhausted. He knew he had been there for a while because the sun had started to dip below the horizon. He sighed and pulled out his sketch book. He started sketching absentmindedly. He knew his parents would be looking for him soon and he would be in trouble but he just didn't want to face anyone at the moment. So he let his hand work while he talked to his sister about what had been going on in his life. A few times he looked down at what he was doing but it didn't really register until the street lights came on and he actually looked at what he had been drawing. He was a bit taken aback as the face of his Anatomy partner stared back at him. Why the hell had he draw Will? Nico wasn't sure why he had drawn the boy but it was nearly a perfect likeness minus his shocking blue eyes. Nico closed his book so he didn't have to look at it anymore and was putting his book away when his father appeared.

"I knew you would be here," was all his father said.

"Am I not allowed to visit my sister?" he growled. He was already in a bad mood from the day he had.  
"I never said that. I just said I knew you would be here. Mind if I join you?" Hades asked. Nico just shrugged in response. Hades sat down on the other side of the headstone, setting a flower in front of it. "I know it's hard. I miss her too," his father said, looking down at the black headstone.  
"Hard? I don't even want to keep on going!" Nico yelled.  
"Do you really think she would want to hear you say that? She would want you to go on and find happiness for both your sake and hers," Hades told him softly.  
"She shouldn't be gone," Nico said, fighting back a whole new round of tears.  
"But she is and now we must live on without her. I'm not saying to forget her but keep her in your memory and live. She would hate to see you so upset all the time. You and I both know that," Hades said, standing and holding his hand out for his son. Nico sighed and took it, standing up and wiping his pants off. "Let's get home. You have homework to do and Seph made dinner. You and I both know she would skin us if we made her eat alone," that earned a small smile from Nico.  
"Yeah," he said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and following his father to where their vehicles were parked.

Hades stepped into his black Maserati while Nico walked to his bike. His father gave him a nod before backing out of the parking lot and towards their house. Nico followed him, exhausted from the day. They arrived at home and both parked in the garage, walking into the kitchen together just as Persephone was setting the table.

"Just in time," she said, grabbing a lidded pot and setting in the middle of the table.

Hades walked to her and pulled her into his embrace, giving her a quick kiss before pulling out her chair. She took a seat while Nico grabbed drinks for everyone, wine for his parents and a coke for him. To his surprise, neither of them brought up school.

"I have a business meeting in Chicago in a week and as you know it is also Seph and I's anniversary. We were planning on both going and spending a few extra days there. Nico, would be interested in coming along?" Hades asked as they were all eating dessert.

Nico thought about it for a second before shaking his head. "I have a group project for school and I'm doing all the technical work so I can't miss," he said. Hades nodded.  
"Very well. You are old enough to take care of yourself while we are gone. I do expect you to go to school in our absence though," both his parents looked at him in a way that dared him to argue. He held up his hands.  
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled.  
"And no smoking in the house," Hades told him for the millionth time.  
"Or at school," his step mom glared at him, telling him that even though they didn't bring it up, they knew.  
"Sorry," he said, eyes downcast. "Thank you for dinner, it was great as always. Now I'm going to step out and have a smoke before I go work on homework," Nico said, excusing himself and going to the backyard.

He pulled out his cigarette and lit one up, taking a long drag. He sat on one of the patio chairs that were lined up near the pool and kicked his feet up on the table, pulling out his phone to check it. It was nearly dead but he saw he had a new message. It could only be from a select few people, his parents or Will, the only people who talked to him.

_From Will S.- Hey. I really didn't mean to upset you. Hope you are okay_

_To Will S.- I'm fine._

_From Will S.- I sent that 3 hours ago!_

_To Will S.- I was busy._

Nico left off the fact that he had apparently been busy drawing him, not that it was something he needed to know anyway.

_From Will S.- Hopefully doing homework xD_

_To Will S.- Have you met me? I don't do homework. I smoke and drive a motorcycle. I beat up nerds and make them do my homework._

_From Will S.- That's how you got those sketches! I have found you out! You beat up art students and make them do it :P_

_To Will S.- I will have you know that I did that myself thank you -_-_

_From Will S.- If you say so lol_

_To Will S.- Whatever. I'm going to go back inside now and do our project since you seem to be dead weight_

_From Will S.- Ouch. Now I feel bad…_

_To Will S.- Good I've done my job._

_From Will S.- Rude_

_To Will S.- Did I ask?_

_From Will S.- Nope but I told you anyway_

_To Will S.- Bye._

_From Will S.- Bye Angel!_

_To Will S.- Don't call me that._

_From Will S.- :P_

Nico tossed his phone on his bed, having made it back to his room, and stripped out of his clothes and into some sweats. He booted up his laptop and took a seat at his desk, clearing off a space to work in.

He started up Maya and turned on his PS4 to play music on his TV. He started working on making his sketches digital. By the time he took a break to sketch, he caught a glimpse of the time. It was nearly two in the morning. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He saved his work and closed his laptop. He collapsed on his bed, not even bothering turning off his PS4 and passed out.

"Nico, Nico il mio amore," Persephone said softly, running her hands through his long black hair. "You must get up, it's time for school."

"Uh," Nico grumbled, snuggling closer to her warmth. She laughed and rubbed his back.  
"Come on, you must get up. We let you sleep in but now you have to get up," she informed him.  
"Don't wanna," he mumbled.

"Come on, it's Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday and then you have the weekend," she reminded him.  
"Doesn't make waking up any easier," he whined, rolling over and stretching.

"Hurry and get dressed, I made biscuits and gravy," she said with a wink.  
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Nico asked, instantly awake.

His step mom just laughed at him and walked out of the room as Nico jumped out of bed and into his closet for clothes. He grabbed a pair of dark purple skinny jeans and a ripped A Day to Remember tee shirt. He wasn't even fully dressed as he hopped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Nico, how nice of you to grace us with your presence, lack of clothes and all," his father greeted him over his tablet. Nico flipped him off as he pulled up his pants the rest of the way and pulled his shirt over his head.  
"Mom said biscuits and gravy," Nico said as if it was all the explanation in the world. Hades rolled his eyes and Persephone laughed as she sat plates in front of the two.

It was as if Nico didn't breath as he inhaled the goodness that was biscuits and gravy. He didn't even ask as he got up and served himself another helping. He scarfed it down just as quick as the first. After literally licking his plate clean, he dropped it in the sink and grabbed his bag, dropping a kiss on Persephone's cheek and waved to his father. He started up his bike and drove to school. He made sure to smoke on the way there since he knew he would be watched and he couldn't afford to get expelled. His parents had threatened private school and that was worse than public school. He finished the cancer stick just as he was pulling into the parking lot. He parked in his spot and turned off his bike. He checked his phone, realizing he still had a few minutes until the first bell rang.

He got off his bike and decided being early to class wasn't as bad as sitting outside and being gawked at. He pushed his way past everyone crowded around the door, making sure to throw a glare Percy's way before disappearing inside and to his English classroom. He took his seat near the back and pulled out his sketch book. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice when the class filled up and the teacher started teaching. He was pulled out of his trance when the bell rang, signaling the next class. He packed up and headed to second period, once again getting lost in his art and forgetting the world.

By the time lunch rolled around, he was nearly done. He swapped out his pencil for his color pencils and set about coloring it. He didn't even bother with lunch, instead going right into his fifth period which was art. He took his usual seat and put on some music. He was so in the zone that when he felt a tap on his shoulder he nearly hit who had done it. He turned and saw his teacher.

"Class is about to start," his informed Nico. Nico just nodded and plugged in his headphones. "Is this what you're going to submit for as a final?" the teacher asked. Nico shook his head.  
"This is for me. I don't know what I'm going to turn in yet," the raven-haired boy admitted.  
"I'm sure you will figure it out," the teacher gave him a pat on the back and walked to his desk, allowing Nico to put in his headphones and work.

The class poured in and took seats, turning to the teacher for their assignment while Nico listened to his music and finished his piece. He was a special case in his art class. The teacher had already told him that as long as he was turning in pieces of work in different mediums then he didn't care what Nico did. Nico was happy with that arrangement. Art was the only thing he felt like he was good at, besides sword fighting but he knew he couldn't make a career out of that. So he stuck to art. He colored through the whole class, finishing just before the bell rang. He put his supplies away and made his way to his final class for the day. He wasn't really too thrilled about seeing Will. He wasn't sure his own feeling for the boy but he knew he didn't want to have any.

He took his normal seat and waited for Will to show up. Of course the blond came in with a huge stupid grin and looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Nico scowled and slid further down in his seat.

"Hello Nico," Will greeted.  
"Hi," Nico responded.  
"How is it going? Will you be ready for show and tell tomorrow?" the boy asked, pulling out a notebook and his text book.  
"Yeah, I have it all in the program. I'm just making minor adjustments.I was up until two working on it." Will turned to him wide eyed and in shock.  
"Why?" he asked, earning a shrug from Nico.  
"I started working and lost track of time."  
"You're crazy," Will told him with a shake of his head.

"I've been called worse," Nico said, smirking. "By better."  
"That was rude," Will said, not even looking up from his notebook.  
"And I should care why?" Nico asked.  
"Because you should be nice. It will make you feel better," the blond said with a smile.  
"I think I like being bitter and mean better," Nico told him. "But thanks for the advice."

"One day," Will mumbled, clearly busy with whatever was in his text book.

Nico just shrugged and pulled out his sketch book, busying himself with a new sketch. He honestly never knew what he was drawing and his just let his mind wander as his hands went to work. He was so tuned out that Will had to shake him to get his attention.

"What?" Nico asked, annoyed he had been disturbed.  
"Your picture," Will pointed. "I thought you liked Joker better," Nico looked down and saw that he had ended up drawing Snake from Black shrugged.

"I don't ever realize what I'm drawing. I just draw," he ripped the page out of the book and handed it to Will.  
"Really?" the blond asked.  
"I don't have any use for it," Nico told him bluntly.  
"Thanks!" Will said with a huge smile. "Who is that?" he asked, looking down at the exposed page in Nico's sketchbook.

It was the one he had been working on all day. It was a girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen. She had long wavy brown hair and brown eyes identical to Nico's but instead of a harsh glare, she had a softness to her. She was in a white dress in a field of flowers. Her hair was blowing all around her and she held a rose up to her nose. She had a smatter of freckles on her cheeks and it didn't look like she had any makeup on at all but she had a natural beauty that makeup would have just ruined. The sun was just falling below the horizon and she was bathed in a light that made her look like an angel. The piece took Will's breath away as he studied it.

"My sister," Nico said, slamming the book shut.

It was the first piece he had drawn of her and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. However, the last thing Nico needed was Will wanting to go through his book and seeing himself in it. Nico did not want to have to explain that.

"She's beautiful," Will told him.

"Was," Nico corrected.  
"No, is. Her beauty will forever live on in your heart and in your art. So long as you never forget her, she will live on," Will said, sadness in his eyes.

"That was deep," Nico said sarcastically. Will laughed and shrugged.  
"I have my moments Angel," he flashed a smile at Nico who glared at him.  
"I said don't call me that," he growled.  
"Why? It's your last name," Will pointed out.  
"No my last name is di Angelo."  
"Translated to Angel in English," Will said with a satisfied smirk.  
"Non ho chiesto per voi da tradurre," Nico told him in Italian.  
"I am going to need you to say that again but in English this time," Will teased.  
"No," Nico shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.  
"Why?" Will pouted.  
"Because you don't deserve to know," Nico smirked at him. Will was about to say something but was cut off by the bell. "Well it's been fun," Nico said, packing up his stuff and standing up. "But I am going home for my after school nap."  
"Wait," Will said, ripping a page out of his notebook. "I wrote down all the muscles we have to have and the veins. I figured you could have it for a reference for when I come over tomorrow. That way you can look into them and if you have any questions we can discuss them in class." Nico took it and shoved it into his pocket.  
"I'll think about it," he said. Will frowned.  
"I'm trying to be helpful and do something," the blond pouted.  
"See you tomorrow Sun," Nico said with a backwards wave.

Will \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Swim practice was hell. With a tournament coming up, everything was set into overdrive. They all pushed to beat their fastest times and pushed to beat out the others times so they would have a spot to swim. There were only so many positions and everyone had to work for their own. Percy, being the captain and the fastest on the team, got first pick and he picked the 100 meter freestyle. Will was currently fighting for his place for the 100 meter breaststroke. There were three others wanting the spot so it was a nerve wracking race but Will pulled through in the end and won by a full four seconds.

By the end of practice, everyone was nearly dead on their feet. They were more than happy that they had been given Friday off as a rest day. They congratulated those who had earned their place and hit the showers. Will quickly rinsed off and got changed. He waited out by Percy's locker until he was finished. The two walked out to Percy's blue car together.

"So how are things with your project going?" Percy asked, unlocking his car and throwing his stuff in the back.  
"Not that bad, I think," he admitted. "I have to go over tomorrow and look over what he's done so far."

"Don't be surprised," Percy said.

"What do you mean?" Will asked confused.

"Let's just say that the di Angelo's are very well off," was all the dark haired boy offered. Will just shrugged. "It could be a bit of a culture shock," Percy warned.  
"I'll keep that in mind," Will said.

With that they settled into a comfortable silence, enjoying the warm air and music. They made it to Will's house and said their goodbyes. Will walked up to his front door and noticed that his brothers car was in the driveway, which was abnormal for him. He unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Austin you need to do your homework," Kayla scolded the boy.  
"Just a little bit longer," he whined. "The show is almost over," Kayla rolled her eyes but didn't argue.  
"Hey guys," Will greeted his two siblings.

"Will!" Austin's eyes lit up and Kayla gave him a small smile.  
"Why is Michael here?" Will asked his sister.  
"He managed to somehow get a day off from both school and work," she said. "He's resting in the room." Will nodded and collapsed on the couch next to his brother.

"Long practice?" Austin asked. Will nodded.  
"We had to compete for spots for the tournament," he explained.  
"Did you get a spot?" Kayla asked.  
"Yes. I'm in the 100 meter breaststroke," he said proudly.  
"Yay! Do we get to go see you swim?" Austin bounced up and down excitedly.  
"Lucky for you it's being held at the school," Will said as he ruffled his hair.  
"Okay, that's enough, your show is over. Homework time," Kayla said, pulling Austin off the couch and into the kitchen.  
"I don't wanna," Austin whined.

"I didn't ask what you wanted," she scolded.

Will laughed at his siblings and fell over on his side. He was so tired and he just didn't want to do anything. He was lucky that he had finished his homework at school so he had the rest of the night to himself but he was so tired he didn't even want to move to change the channel. Instead he found himself drifting off to sleep.

He felt like he had only just closed his eyes when he felt a hand shaking him. He cracked open his eyes to see his older brother standing in front of him.

"Morning sunshine," Michael greeted him. "I heard you have a swim tournament coming up." Will nodded, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.  
"Not next Saturday but the one after," he told Michael.  
"That's great! I'll ask off and we can all go," the blond said. Will shook his head.  
"I can't ask you to do that."  
"You didn't I offered," Michael said with a smile.  
"It would be cool for all you guys to be there," Will said, trying to contain his excitement.

"Be where?" another voice joined the fray.  
"Oh Lee, I hope we didn't wake you," Will said, looking to his oldest brother.  
"No, it's about time to get up anyway. I heard you guys talking about an event?" he asked, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the orange juice and drinking from the carton, earning a smack from Kayla.  
"I have a swim tournament coming up in two weeks," Will told him.  
"On a Saturday?" Lee questioned, tossing the now empty container into the trash. Will nodded. "Great, I'll ask off," he said.  
"What? No I don't want you guys to go out of your way for me," Will said embarrassed he was getting so much attention.  
"Out of our way?" Michael asked looking confused.  
"You're our little brother. It's not going out of our way," Lee said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Will felt his cheeks heat up and he knew he was blushing. He wasn't used to attention. Michael ruffled Will's hair and turned to Kayla.

"Need help with dinner?" he asked. She nodded and they both vanished into the kitchen leaving Lee and Will together in the livingroom.

"So how's school?" Lee asked. Will shrugged.  
"It's been okay. Been super busy with swim team and have a pretty big group project due in a few weeks," he told his brother. "How's work?"

"Busy. Hopefully I'll be moved to day shift instead of these stupid night hours," he complained. "I would like to actually see you guys every once and while."  
"We do miss you and Michael," Will admitted. Lee gave him a sad smile.  
"We miss you too kiddo," Will pouted.  
"You are aware I'm junior, I'm almost eighteen. I'm not a kid," Will whined. Lee just laughed.  
"Whatever you say kiddo."

Lee and Will continued to joke around, joined by Austin after he finished his homework, and watched TV until dinner was ready. The siblings sat around the table and ate dinner together for the first time in months. After the leftovers were put away and the dishes done, Lee went off to get ready for work, Will did a bit more research for his group project, Kayla sent Austin to the shower while her and Michael cleaned the house a bit. They all saw Lee off to work and Will took that as his cue to head to bed. He didn't have swim practice and for that he was grateful but he still had to face Nico and he knew that would take a lot of his energy.

The next morning Will saw his two younger siblings off and waited for Percy to pick him up. He climbed into the back, greeting Annabeth, Percy and to his surprise, Leo also. The Hispanic boy explained that his car was currently in the shop at the school and he had to work on it.

They arrived at the school just as the first bell was ringing. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Will headed to his first class of the day.

By the time that lunch rolled around, Will was so happy that it was Friday. He had already had three tests and he was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than a relaxing weekend but he still had two more classes plus he had to figure out when he was meeting up at Nico's place. He was happy that swim practice had been canceled for the day though. That meant he could go home and take a nap.

He made it through Spanish with Leo somehow. It seemed the boy would be in the shop all day working on his car, leaving Will to suffer through the lesson alone and lost. He understood a bit of Spanish but it was easier when he had someone translating for him the entire class.

He made it through the class hour and managed to not have a test. For that he was grateful. From there he only had one class left and it was with Nico. He walked to the classroom where only a few students and the teacher were in. He took a spot in the back next to Nico's seat and waited until the raven-haired boy showed up. Of course he was late. The teacher glared at him but didn't say anything. He took a seat next to Will and pulled out his phone.

"So," Will said.  
"So?" Nico asked.  
"Am I still going over to see what you have done?" the blond asked. Nico shrugged.  
"If you feel like it," was all he said.

"I mean, I feel like I haven't done much and I would like to help," Will told him.  
"Okay, then come over around five. I'll text you my address after this game," he mumbled. Will just nodded before he realized that Nico wasn't even paying attention.

Will decided to do homework for another class while Nico was busy. He started working, pulling out his phone and headphones to listen to music while he worked. He turned on All Time Low and set to work. He got so immersed in his work he was startled when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Nico hovering over him with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face.

"What?" Will asked, thinking he had done something wrong.

"Class is over. Are you just going to stay here all afternoon?" the boy questioned.  
"Sorry, I didn't realize," Will apologized as he turned off his music and packed away his stuff. "I'll see you in a few hours," he told Nico.  
"Just go through the back gate," he told Will. Will nodded and watched as Nico left.

Will dropped a few things off at his locker before meeting Percy at his car and heading home. No one was home except for a sleeping Lee. Will left his bag in the living room and crawled into his bed, setting his alarm for thirty minutes before he was supposed to meet Nico. He was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

The annoying alarm tone woke him from his peaceful slumber. He didn't want to get up but he knew that if it kept going off it would wake up Lee and he didn't want to do that so he got up and headed to the bathroom. He tossed some cold water on his face to help him wake up and used the restroom. He copied Nico's address and put it in his GPS. It said it was about a twenty minute walk from him. He grabbed his bag, put in his headphones, and started walking.

Nico's house was not at all what he had expected. It was a two story gothic house that seemed like it could have been a mansion. It had a wrap around porch, a semi circle driveway, and a fenced in yard. After Will got over his shock, he remembered that Nico had said to use the back gate. He walked around to the side of the house with the garage and saw the gate. The blond pushed it open and walked in.

"Nico?" Will called. "I'm here!" when he heard no response, he followed the porch around to the back. As he walked around the house, he heard music playing. He followed the sound and was stopped dead in his tracks when he finally saw Nico.

Said boy was clad in only a pair of black sweats, leaving his torso and back exposed, revealing not only a toned body but also tattoos. From what Will could see, Nico had a black and red dragon covering his entire back. The tail twirled around Nico's waist and around his hip, disappearing somewhere on the front half of him. The head stopped on his left shoulder blade, blowing smoke across his shoulder and down onto his arm where a phoenix with a stopwatch in its mouth emerged from the flames.

Will wasn't sure what he was more surprised about, the tattoos or the amazing body that the raven-haired boy had been hiding. It wasn't hard to see how the boy had such a great body as he was currently working out. It seemed the di Angelo's had an outdoor gym set up in their backyard.

Will watched Nico as he was lifting weights and he could feel a heat spreading across his cheeks as he admired the boy. Nico was good looking and Will found himself thinking about running his hands along Nico's body, which was not a normal thought for Will. He wanted to turn away but he couldn't. He was embarrassed when Nico turned around and caught him staring, he finally turned away just to avoid eye contact.

"When did you get here?" Nico asked, grabbing a towel off a machine and wiping his face off.

"Just a few minutes ago. I didn't want to disturb you," Will said, looking at his feet and trying to keep his voice even.  
"You could have said something," Nico said, sounding un-amused.  
"Sorry," Will mumbled, finally looking up and feeling his eyes go wide as he got a frontal view of Nico.

Will could finally see where the tail of the dragon vanished, right into the waistband of his sweats. Going just a bit further up, Will could see a perfect six pack that he found himself wanting to lick. Then even further up was the biggest surprise. Two silver bars ran right through Nico's nipples.

Will felt his throat go dry and he knew he was staring but he just couldn't stop. His eyes were glued to the raven-haired boy and he could practically feel Nico smirking.

"Like what you see?" Nico asked, turning away, allowing Will to swallow and look away. That didn't do much good because he could swear the stupid tease was swaying his hips provocatively on purpose. Will shook his head, trying to clear his mind and focus.  
"Whatever," was his perfectly articulated response, he followed Nico into his house.

They walked through a glass sliding door and right into a kitchen. Nico walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water, tossing one to Will before taking one for himself and chugging it. He tossed the empty bottle and grabbed another one before turning to Will.

"Let me show you to my room. You can look at what I've done while I shower," Nico said, walking off. Will followed as they went down a hallway and into a living room. He didn't get much time to look around as Nico led him up a set of stairs and to the end of another hallway where he opened a door and walked in. He flipped on a light and Will could see posters adorning the walls, a huge bed, a messy desk, and clothes everywhere.

"Welcome to my room. I didn't feel like cleaning. I spend my time sleeping," Nico said as he rummaged around on the floor, picking up some clothes and smelling them.  
"To each his own," Will told him, trying to avoid stepping on clothes.  
"Let me start up my computer so you can see what I've done," Nico walked across all his clothes, picking up something and tossing it over his shoulder, and turned on his computer.

He waited until it booted up before typing in his password and clicking around. Once something came up on the screen he turned away and walked back across the room to where Will was standing. It took all the blond's willpower not to reach out and touch the boy.

"When it loads just hit play," Nico told him. "I should be out soon," and with that the raven-haired boy was gone.

Will rolled his eyes but made his way across the room to the computer. He sat down on the chair and waited for the loading before it stopped and he could hit play. He was in awe as it played. It was a full skeletal figure. It waved and moved and jumped. How Nico had done it in a week was amazing. Will watched it a few more times, trying to find anything wrong but found nothing. He reached into his bag and searched for his notebook before he realized he must have left it at school. He cursed himself and opened a few drawers of Nico's desk, looking for something to write on. He grabbed the first thing that looked like it had paper in it and a pencil.

He flipped the black book open to the last page and started writing down the muscles that would need to be added and where each one went and the order they needed to do them in. He was so busy remaking the notes that he almost, _almost_ , missed the piece of paper that slid out from the notebook. He picked it up, thinking it was something important, and went to slip it back in the book when he caught a glimpse of it. At first he wasn't sure if he was seeing things right or not because he was met with a black and white portrait of himself. He looked at it and realized he was in the same clothes that he was wearing at that moment. He looked closer and realized it was a drawing of him in his anatomy class while he had been doing homework. He had a slight scowl on his face as he wrote notes from a book in front of him.

Will heard Nico enter the room but he didn't get the drawing hidden in time. Nico saw it was in his hand and went pale. He just stood there and looked at Will with horror in his eyes. Neither spoke for a few moments, the tension so thick one could almost reach out and touch it. Nico didn't take a step closer, looking closer to bolting out the door then facing Will.

"Do I really scowl when I work?" Will asked, breaking the silence. Nico's jaw nearly dropped.  
"What?" Nico asked.  
"In this picture, I'm scowling," Will pointed out.  
"That's all you have to ask about it?" Nico questioned, regaining a bit of his color but still looking like he might be sick.  
"Well yeah," Will told him. "No one has ever taken a picture of me or drawn me while I've been working so I had no idea how I looked."  
"You're not going to ask why I have a picture of you?" Nico asked. Will shook his head.  
"You're an artist. They draw everything. Plus after seeing this work I'm feeling like we are going to have the best project in the class," Will said with a huge smile. He put the paper back in the notebook and looked back at Nico who was in a pair of basketball shorts and no shirt. "I made a few notes about what should be next if you wanna look over them and I can explain them?" Will asked, holding out the book to Nico.

He slowly approached Will as if he was afraid he would attack him or something. Once he was sure he wasn't in any danger, he took the book and looked over what the blond had written. He looked at in confusion before turning back to Will.

"What the hell is all of this?" Nico asked.  
"It's the muscles and where they go," Will explained.  
"How am I supposed to know all of this?" Nico growled.  
"I don't know, read your book maybe?" Will suggested.  
"Overrated. Clearly I have a nerd in my group so you just tell me what to do and we pass. Seems like a win win to me," Nico said with a shrug, causing Will to laugh.  
"I'm not a nerd. I just want to be a doctor so I have to know these things," Will explained.  
"Even better," Nico said with a satisfied smirk. "Now get out of my chair so I can work on this gibberish I don't understand," he said, giving Will a shove.  
"I'm moving," Will grumbled, getting out of the chair and looking around for something else to sit on.  
"You can grab my gaming chair," the raven-haired boy said as he motioned behind him.

Will turned and saw a black chair against the wall. He grabbed it and brought it across the room to sit next to Nico, who was very distracting without a shirt on. He watched as he opened up a program and clicked around but Will couldn't help as his eyes wandered to Nico from time to time.

"Okay boss," Nico's voice brought him out of his trance, "Guide me."  
"Uh okay well first…"

Over the next two hours Nico and Will worked on getting muscles put on their skeleton. They didn't even realize as the sun disappeared. It wasn't until someone cleared their throat from the door that the two turned around. Well Will turned while Nico swiveled around in his chair with a bored expression.

"Yes?" he asked the woman who was standing in the doorway.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had someone over. It's a good thing I made extra dinner, which is done," the woman said with a soft smile. "Also, I'm Nico's step mother Persephone," she introduced herself. Will stood up and crossed the room to shake her hand.  
"I'm Will. I'm Nico's group member for a school project," he introduced himself.  
"Ah yes, Nico turned down a trip to Chicago to work on it. Must be super important," she said with a wink.  
"He did?" Will asked.  
"Yes. My husband and I are going for our anniversary and invited Nico. We are leaving Monday and staying until Saturday," she explained.  
"Well the project is due next Friday so I'm glad he is choosing to stay because he is doing most the work," Will felt a blush creeping up his neck. "I feel bad but I am not artistic." Persephone laughed.  
"Well I am glad he is putting in some work. It will do him some good," she said.  
"Whatever," Nico huffed. "I'm going out for a smoke," he said as he walked past both of them and out the door.  
"Nico honey, put on a shirt," his step mom sighed. "I'm sorry for him," Persephone apologized.

"Nothing to apologize for," Will told her with a smile.  
"He is really fond of his tattoo and I swear he would go to school without a shirt on if he could," she laughed. "Oh you should have seen his father and I when we first saw it. We were mad but after he explained it and we calmed down, we grew fond of it too. Now the piercings though, he did that just to get on our nerves."  
"He seems to like to test his limits," Will said with a laugh, following Persephone out of the room.

"He is very good at it too I'll warn you," she told him. "He did it behind our backs while he was in Italy because he knew he could get away with it."  
"Italy?" Will questioned, walking down the stairs and past the living room and into the kitchen.  
"Yes, after his sister passed he went to Italy to stay with some family for a while," she explained.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Will mused.

"Yes, Nico wasn't born there but he has family there," she said, motioning for him to sit at the table. 'My husband should be along anytime now and Nico should be done soon," Will nodded, still standing.  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" the blond asked.  
"Yes, you can sit down and wait," she told him. "I appreciate it but everything is pretty much ready to go." Will sighed and sat down.

He didn't like feeling like he wasn't doing anything to help. So he pulled out a chair and sat down. He had barely gotten comfortable when he heard a door open and footsteps approaching. He knew it couldn't be Nico since he was out back so that left only one other person, Nico's father. Will heard him before he saw him.

"Nico's actually home?" a deep voice called out from the living room.  
"I know, it's a miracle," his wife responded. "And he has a friend over doing homework."

"Hell must have frozen over," came the response, followed by the owner of the voice.

Nico's father was a tall, looming man. He had an authoritative presence about him and he radiated power. He was in a black suit but his tie had already been undone and the first button of his shirt was undone. He had short black hair and his eyes looked so dark they could have been black. When his gaze turned to Will he nearly froze. He felt like the man was digging around inside his head and searching for his secrets.

"Hello. I'm Hades di Angelo," the man said, holding out his hand. Will quickly stood up and took a step towards the man, taking his hand and firmly shaking it.

"William Solace but you can call me Will," the blond blurted out quickly.  
"A friend of Nico's?" he asked, letting go of Will's hand and turning to his wife.  
"Well group partner," Will said.  
"Ahh yes, the one he turned Chicago down for?" Hades questioned, grabbing glasses and setting them on the table. Will nodded.  
"It's for anatomy. It's a pretty big part of our grade and it's due next week," Will explained.  
"Well I'm glad he's actually doing it. If he gives you any problems feel free to take it up with me," Hades said with a smirk. Will gulped hard, thinking that he would be terrified to take anything up with Hades, but nodded.  
"Like I would ever cause problems," a new voice chimed in. Will looked up to see Nico coming in from the sliding glass door.

"You don't even have to cause them," his father said. "They seem to follow you." Nico flipped off Hades back. "I saw that," his father turned around and glared at him. "Really Nico?" Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ever heard of a shirt?"  
"Ever heard of I don't care?" Nico retorted with, sitting down across from Will.  
"Children," Persephone stepped in. "We have a guest," she glared at both of them. "Behave."  
"Sorry," Nico told her.  
"Yes my love, of course," Hades kissed her cheek and took a pan out of her hands and set it on the table.

Nico made a disgusted noise but didn't say anything. He just brought one of his knees up to his chest and rested his head on it while his parents set the table. Will really wanted to help but he had already been told no so he sat and waited. After the two had finished setting the table, they took a seat and started helping themselves, followed by Nico who raised an eyebrow at Will and motioned for him to take some. He put a bit of everything on his plate. He could feel his mouth watering just from the smell and look of the food.

"What do you want to drink?" Nico asked as he got up from his chair.

"Uhh?" Will wasn't sure how to respond since he had no idea what they had.  
"Water, coke, milk?"  
"I'll take a coke," he said.

Nico nodded and grabbed two cokes and a bottle of wine. He set the wine on the table and poured both cokes into two cups before handing one to Will and sitting back down.

"So Will, what grade are you in?" Persephone asked.  
"I'm a junior this year," Will answered, taking a bite of the food, having to hold back a moan as the flavors exploded in his mouth.  
"A year ahead of Nico," she mused. Will cast the raven-haired boy a questioning glance and he just shrugged.

"He's a sophomore? I thought he was in the same grade as me since he is in an AP class," Will said.

"Despite being lazy, he is actually quite bright," Hades told him.  
"So you mean to tell me," Will directed his sights on Nico, "that I just spent the last two and a half hours breaking down every muscle, where it goes, how it works, and even how to say it, all for nothing?" Nico shrugged and looked bored.  
"I figured it was good for you," was all he cared to say.  
"What?" Will nearly yelled. Hades shook his head.  
"He also has a side of smart ass that I have no idea where it came from," the elder man told Will, causing Nico to snort and Persephone to giggle.

"Really?" Nico asked his father. "No idea?"  
"Not a one. Maybe I didn't discipline you enough as a child?" his father asked.  
"I can give you one guess as to where it came from old man," Nico mumbled.  
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Hades questioned his son.

"Sei uno stronzo," Nico responded in Italian, causing a chill to run up Wil's spine.

"Lingua," his father responded.

Will looked between the two, confusion written all over his face.

"Just ignore them," Persephone whispered to him. "They are like this all the time. They really do love each other."  
"More like tolerate," Nico grumbled.  
"He's my child, of course I love him," Hades said.  
"So Will, tell us a bit about yourself. Nico never brings anyone over so we only get to talk to him and as you probably already know, he's not much for conversation," Persephone said.  
"Well, I'm on the swim team," Will started. He could feel his palms sweating and he rubbed them on his pants and continued on. "I'm a middle child. I have two older brothers, one is in college and the other one works full time. Then I have a younger brother and sister. We all live together."  
"Ahh big family," Persephone said. "I was an only child. Hades had two brothers. They are actually triplets but they were fraternal so you would never know it."  
"Oh yes, my uncles," Nico said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm so sure Will would love to hear about those two."  
"I'm sure he would rather not," Hades said. "They are something both my son and I can actually agree on. However, my wife seems to find it funny and likes to tease us. She never grew up with the two or she wouldn't find it quite so funny."  
"I just think it's funny that you let them get to you. One lives in Florida and the other in Rome. We are in Los Angeles, what are they going to do? Get on a plane and come torment you?" Persephone asked.  
"You clearly don't know them," Nico told her.  
"If Poseidon found it would mean he could visit the beach, then yes. As for Zeus, if it was beneficial for him and his business, yes," Hades said.

"Wait," Will said, stopping the conversation.  
"Hades, Zeus, Poseidon?" the blond asked.

"My parents had an obsession that we have had to live with our entire lives," Hades said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  
"Thank the gods my father did not carry on the tradition," Nico told Will.  
"I was out voted," Hades mumbled.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Nico asked.  
"Your sister picked Nico. I wanted to name you Aiakos. Your mother sided with Bianca," Hades told him.  
"I never knew that," his son responded. "Wait, then how did Bianca get a normal name?"  
"Your mother said I could pick the name if the child was a boy but if it was a girl she got to name her. Clearly she won both rounds," Hades said.

Will watched as the two went back and forth. He couldn't help but smile. It was nice to see Nico not being all brooding and depressing. It also reminded him of a better time in his family when everyone got along. They finished their food as Hades and Nico argued over how hard his life would have been with a name like Aiakos. Will just laughed at the two along with Persephone who at some point got up and cleared the table, bringing out dessert and serving everyone. They all finished and Nico stood up to clear the table. Will jumped up to help too. They tried to tell him he was a guest and shouldn't be cleaning but he insisted and won out in the end. After Will helped wash the dishes and put them away, he followed Nico outside.

"So that was kind of a dick move," Will told Nico as he lit up a cigarette.  
"I didn't want you to feel like I was doing all the work. Plus it meant I didn't have to keep looking up references with you telling me them," Nico said with a shrug.  
"You could have said something. We could have moved along quicker," Will complained.  
"It was cute watching you be all teacher like," Nico told him causing him to choke. "You okay?" Nico asked.

"F..fine," Will managed to cough out.

"If I would have known how easy it was to make you turn into a tomato I would have done it hours ago," Nico told him with an evil look in his eyes.  
"Let's not," Will said, backing up a step as Nico stepped close to him.  
"Let's," Nico mumbled, taking another step forward as Will stepped back.

Will kept backing up until he felt the rail in his back and he had nowhere else to go while Nico continued to draw closer. He looked around in panic but he was trapped, Nico was in his personal space and Will was frozen. Nico flicked his cigarette away and took another step closer and Will's breath caught in his throat. Their chests were practically touching and when Will looked down he got a perfect view of the shiny metal in Nico's nipples and it did things to him that it should have been doing in such close proximity to the boy.

"N..Nico?" Will stuttered.  
"Yes?" Nico leaned into Will and breathed against his neck. Will couldn't contain the shiver that ran through his body. He unconsciously tilted his head to the side, allowing Nico to nuzzle his exposed neck.  
"W..wh..what are..y..you..d..d..doing?" Will's voice was no more than a whisper as he felt the boy's hot breath ghosting across his neck.

"I'm giving you what you want?" he mumbled, his breath moving from Will's neck and up to his ear. "You want this don't you?" Nico whispered in his ear. Will couldn't even form words and instead just let out a whimper, his nails digging into the railing at his back.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over. Nico backed away with a smirk plastered to his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Will was very confused and very flustered. He took a minute to catch his breath and control his heartbeat before glaring at the smirking boy.

"What the hell was that?" Will finally asked, unlatching his fingers from the railing.  
"What ever could you mean?" Nico asked innocently.  
"All of," Will threw his arms around, "that."

"I was just teasing you. No need to get all uptight about it," Nico told him, lighting up another cigarette. "Besides," he blew out a ring of smoke. "You liked it."

"You caught me off guard!" Will defended himself.  
"So are you just in denial or in the closet? I've been trying to figure it out," Nico mused.  
"Uhh what?" was all Will could respond with.  
"Oh come on, from the moment I saw you gawking at me I knew you were gay," Nico told him, practically grilling him with his black eyes.  
"Okay and? I'm not in denial or in the closet. You could have just asked," Will said.  
"This way was much more fun though," Nico smirked, blowing out O's with his smoke.  
"Has anyone ever told you that you are an asshole?" Will asked.  
"Only about everyday," he said with a shrug.

"Do you enjoy making my life a living hell or something? Did I do something to you?" Will was getting fed up of being Nico's plaything.  
"You're easy to tease," was all Nico responded with, flicking his cigarette away and turning to the glassdoor.

"I think you do it because you like me," Will blurted out, causing Nico to stop dead in his tracks. Will saw him tense and then relax.  
"As if," Nico scoffed, opening the door and stepping inside.  
"You're gay too," Will called out, chasing after him. The raven-haired boy didn't even turn around.  
"I'm waiting on you to get to your point," he said.

"Ha so I was right!" Will said as he followed Nico up the stairs.  
"About?" Nico asked.  
"You like me!" Will was feeling pretty confident with himself as he stepped into Nico's room with him.  
"And what would give you that inclination?"  
"You won't stop teasing me," Will point out. Nico turned to face him.  
"What are we, in grade school? He hit me so he must like me," Nico mocked.  
"No we're in highschool and you practically molested my neck," Will said.  
"And you like it," he smirked.  
"So did you," Will retorted.  
"What if I did? What are you going to do about it?" Nico asked, lust swimming in his eyes. Will felt his face heat up and he looked away. "That's what I thought. Now, I think homework is good for today. We can pick it up tomorrow if you don't have anything planned." Will just nodded, still embarrassed. "What time works for you? I'm not up before noon."  
"I don't have any plans so whenever," Will mumbled.  
"Okay so let's say three then?" Nico asked. Will nodded. "Okay cool."

Will gathered his stuff from Nico's desk and slung his bag over his shoulder. He grabbed out his headphones and followed Nico to the door. The raven-haired boy stepped outside and looked around.

"Where did you park?" he asked.  
"I walked," Will told him.  
"And you're just now saying that? Ugh, hold on," Nico vanished back inside and Will looked at the open door in confusion. He waited though and a few minutes later Nico came back into view with a shirt on and his jacket in hand. "I'll give you a ride if you tell me where you live."  
"It's fine, I can walk," Will protested.  
"It's dark and almost ten at night. I'll give you a ride," he said again, his stern voice clearly stating he wouldn't take no for an answer.  
"Fine," Will grumbled, following Nico to the garage.

He punched in a number in the keypad and the huge door lifted, revealing Nico's black bike and two other cars. Nico threw his jacket on and walked to his bike. He sat on it and started it up. It roared to life and Nico smiled. He kicked the kickstand up and drove it out of the garage. He motioned for Will to get on the back. The blond hesitated. He had never been on a motorcycle before and he was terrified.

"I won't let you die," Nico reassured him. "Now get on." Will gave him one last skeptical glance before deciding to trust him and get on.

The second he had got comfortable and wrapped his arms around Nico, they were off. At first the blond just buried his face in Nico's back with his eyes screwed tightly shut. However, he slowly opened his eyes once he realized he wasn't going to die. He lifted his head up and watched as the houses passed by in blur. He looked all around. The street lights had come on and there was hardly any traffic on the road, allowing Nico to cruise and Will to feel semi safe. That was until Nico revved it and they sped up. Will let out a surprised squeak and buried his face in Nico's back again. He could feel the boy laughing but he was to scared to even try and scold him. So he just held on for dear life.

"Uh Will," Nico said once they had finally stopped, "You can let go now."  
"R..right," Will said shakily, prying himself away from Nico and off the bike. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow," the blond said, stepping away from Nico and the bike. He just nodded and pulled out a cigarette.

"See you tomorrow," and with that, Nico was gone, leaving Will standing on his curb and watching him leave.

He felt his stomach tie itself in knots and he shook his head. It was only nerves. It had nothing to do with the evening that he had just had. There was no way that he was attracted to Nico di Angelo and his stupid perfect tattooed body.

Nico \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nico had really meant it when he said that he would see Will the following day. Thus, he felt really bad when he woke up with a fever and had to cancel. He spent most the day in the emergency waiting room only to be told he had a twentyfour hour virus and given a prescription of antibiotics. He grumbled the entire way home about the size of the pills and the fact that he was sick. He hated being sick and it didn't help that it had come out of nowhere. Then to top it all off he had been told no smoking until it had passed. His parents had asked if they should cancel their trip but Nico reassured them he would be fine. Eventually the quit fussing over him and settled for buying him soup and taking him home.

The second he was settled into his bed he turned on Youtube and grabbed his phone, pulling up Will's number and sending him a text.

_To Will S.- Hey. So I won't be in school tomorrow_

_From Will S.- Skipping the first day your parents leave. Not questionable at all_

_To Will S.- Oh hardy fucking har. They asked if I wanted them to cancel since I got sick but doc said it was only a 24 hour thing. He told me I couldn't smoke. Can you fucking believe that?!_

_From Will S.- Uhh yes. Smoking is bad for you and if you're sick it won't help you get any better_

_To Will S.- Ugh not you too! Everyone is on my case. Shit we all have bad habits_

_From Will S.- Yes but yours is slowly killing you_

_To Will S.- Life ends in death. We all die. So what does it matter? I could get run over tomorrow and then I wouldn't of died because I smoked_

_From Will S.- No it would be because of the deathbike :P_

_To Will S.- So much for being coddled and babied while I'm sick -_-_

_From Will S.- Glad I could help :D_

_To Will S.- Whatever, I'm going to sleep. I hate spending all day in a hospital waiting room_

_From Will S.- Ok. Night. Hope you feel better tomorrow_

Nico tossed his phone on the other side of his bed and s he curled himself up in his comforter and let the song playing on his TV lull him to sleep.

He was woken up the next morning by his mom taking his temperature and giving him his medicine. She was fussing over him and having second thoughts about leaving when he all but shoved her out of his room and promised her he would be okay. Hades stopped by to remind him to go to school for the rest of the week and try not to burn down the house. Of course Nico made no promises and as soon as his parents had pulled out of the driveway, he raced out back to have a cigarette. As he snuffed it out, he went back upstairs and passed out.

When he woke up next it was because his stomach was grumbling. He sighed and checked his phone. It was after one in the afternoon and his parents had sent him a text saying they were getting on the plane and would call him when they landed. He pocketed his phone and padded downstairs to the kitchen for a can of soup. He sat at the bar and sipped on his soup while scrolling through his phone.

_To Will S.- So how is class?_

_From Will S.- Borning. I'm not even supposed to have my phone you know_

_To Will S.- You're the one who answered_

_From Will S.- It's cuz we have a sub in Spanish. Leo is busy doing something that I don't understand and well I was already on my phone_

_To Will S.- Yea, that's what I to find someone to blame if you get in trouble -_-_

_From Will S.- Always gotta have an out. How you feelin?_

_To Will S.- Better. Eating soup and taking meds_

From Will S.- Good but I didn't hear no smoking in there

_To Will S.- There's a reason for that_

_From Will S.- Nico! It's not gonna help you get better_

_To Will S.- Sorry, can't see the screen due to all the smoke_

_From Will S.- Nico! I swear to the gods I will go over there and destroy all your cigarettes!_

_To Will S.- I'd just get more_

_From Will S.- How? Your parents are gone and you're not 18_

_To Will S.- I have my ways_

_From Will S.- Ugh fine! Stay sick, see if I care!_

_To Will S.- Aww you care about me?_

_From Will S.- Not falling into that trap. Bye Nico. I'll see you tomorrow_

Nico threw his bowl in the sink and pocketed his phone. He was a bit worried that he had made Will upset but he didn't dwell on it for too long. He could find out tomorrow anyway. He walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, turning on the TV and curling up in a blanket that was there. He flipped through the channels before turning on Hulu and watching Lucifer. After the second episode he felt his phone buzz and took it out, hoping it was Will but pushed that thought away as he saw it was from his father. He told him that they had landed and made it to the hotel. He also reminded him to take his meds and behave. He sent a quick reply before tossing his phone on the couch and immersing himself back into his show.

He was halfway through the season when his stomach grumbled again. He sighed and sat up, deciding on another can of soup. He heated up his bowl and returned to the couch, grabbing a bottle of water on his way. He took his meds as he ate, finishing off almost all of Lucifer before he felt his eyelids start to droop. He grabbed his phone and set an alarm before curling up in the blanket and falling asleep.

Nico woke up the next morning to his phone vibrating. It took a second to come to his senses to realize that it wasn't his alarm but a phone call. He clicked the green button, not even bothering to see who it was from.

"Hello?" he croaked into the phone.

"Nico? Oh gods did I wake you up? I am so sorry," a frantic voice came out over the other end.  
"Will?" Nico asked as he heard the voice.  
"Yeah, I uhh, didn't mean to wake you up it's just that. Percy got sick and I missed the bus and I kinda need a ride to school and I was wondering if you could give me one," he sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack.  
"Why the hell are you up so early? We have more than an hour until school starts," Nico grumbled.  
"I've been up. I'm normally at the school at this time," he explained. Nico sighed.  
"I'll give you a ride, just let me wake up first and have a cigarette," he said, untangling himself from the blanket and sitting up.  
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that last part," Will said. "But thank you."  
"Whatever, I'll be there in thirty," Nico told him, hanging up the phone and stretching.

Nico got up and took his medicine, stepped outside to have a quick smoke, ventured upstairs to take a quick shower, and got dressed all in under twenty minutes. He grabbed his bag and jacket before stepping into the garage and starting up his bike, shooting Will a quick text to let him know he was on his way. He pulled out of the garage and headed to Will's house.

When he pulled up Will was pacing his driveway. Nico couldn't help but laugh. They still had over half an hour until the first bell rang and Will looked like he was in full blown panic mode. The blond's head snapped up upon hearing the motorcycle and he let out a breath.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't come?" Nico asked as Will rushed over.  
"Oh no, I knew you would be here. It was just a matter of timing," Will said as he climbed on the back of the bike, clearly not as afraid as he had been the first time he had ridden on the bike.  
"I'm not going to let you be late," Nico scoffed.  
"And I thank you for that," Will told him as he wrapped his arms around Nico and got situated on the back of the bike.

Nico tore away from the curb, smiling to himself as Will's arms wrapped tighter around him. He bobbed in and out of traffic, much to Will's distress, and they made it to school in record time. They still had fifteen minutes until the first bell rang. As soon as Nico parked, he had to wait until Will unwrapped his arms from around him to kick the kickstand down. Eventually the pressure on his stomach loosened and he felt Will step off the bike.

"You good?" Nico ask with a small laugh.  
"I will be after my stomach returns to its rightful place," Will said.  
"Cigarette?" Nico asked, pulling off his jacket and grabbing his pack, offering Will one. If looks could have killed in that moment, Nico would have died right then there with a smirk plastered on his face leaning against his deathbike with a cigarette in between his lips.  
"Really?" Will spat.  
"It was a joke," the raven-haired said as he inhaled the smoke.  
"It's still bad for you," Will said with a glare. Nico just shrugged.  
"I got you to school on time, why are you whining?" Nico teased.  
"Guess I just need something to complain about," Will told him with a small smile. "I haven't even asked, how are you feeling?"  
"Better," Nico said as he blew smoke behind him. "Are you going to need a ride home?"

"I couldn't ask you to do that. I have swim practice today since we have a tournament coming up this weekend and it will run late," Will shook his head.  
"Then how are you going to get home?" Nico questioned, dropping his cigarette butt and grounding it out with the heel of his boot.  
"I can just walk. I don't have to worry about being late," Will told Nico with a shrug, causing the raven-haired boy to roll his eyes.

"I'll see you in Anatomy," was all Nico said as he walked off, leaving Will standing by his bike all alone.

Will \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Will was shook from stupor when he heard his name being called. He looked up to see Jason and Piper approaching him.

"What's up? Wheres Percy?" Jason asked.  
"He's sick," Will replied.  
"So how did you get here? I didn't see you on the bus," Piper questioned.  
"I uh, missed the bus," Will told them.  
"So is there any reason why you are standing by the bike of Nico di Angelo?" Jason asked him, finally catching on.  
"Uhh," Will stammered.  
"I don't even think we have to ask," Piper said with a smile.

"There's the bell," Will said, briskly walking towards to the school. His friends rolled their eyes behind his back but followed him inside.  
"This isn't over Solace," Jason yelled at Will as they went their separate ways.

The whole day was pretty much a blur to Will. He tried to concentrate but his mind kept drifting back to a certain Italian boy. He couldn't quite figure out why. Will had never really had a 'type' and he wasn't sure that if he did it would be Nico. Yet here he was, thinking about him instead of focusing on the assignment in front of him. He eventually just gave up and collapsed on the desk. He sighed into his arms and tried to clear his head. He had a swim tournament he should be focused on, homework that needed to be done, yet there was a raven-haired boy at the front of his mind and it was driving him insane.

By the time lunch rolled around, Will was at the end of his rope. He didn't even bother getting a tray and instead just sat at his table, hiding his face in his hands. He knew that if he even looked up at all, he would be searching the entire place for Nico. He reached into his pockets for his headphones and plugged them into his phone, clicking onto his music and trying to drown out his thoughts. It didn't last long as everyone started to gather at the table and question him.

"Can't you guys just let me be," Will whined.  
"Nope," Thalia said, popping the P and clapping Will on the back.

"Now spill," Luke said from his spot next to Will. "We heard that a certain blond arrived to school today on a motorcycle with a little rebel boy," Luke teased.  
"He's not a rebel boy," Will defended, snapping his head up and glaring at Luke.  
"There it is! A reaction!" Luke said with a smug smirk. Will had a scowl plastered to his face as his group of friends smiled at him.

"What do you want from me?" Will growled. "As you can see, Percy isn't here and I had to get to school."  
"There is the bus," Thalia pointed out.  
"Really? I can't believe I didn't think of that," Will said sarcastically. "Austin was running late and I had to go hold their bus so him and Kayla wouldn't miss it. In doing so, I missed mine."

"You are so snippy today," Jason told him.  
"I'm not. I'm just tired and you guys are all over me about getting a ride from Nico," Will said, clearly getting annoyed.  
"No Jason, he's not snippy, he's in denial," Piper said with a smile.  
"Denial about what?" Will snapped.  
"Love," Piper said in a sing song voice.  
"I am not!" Will yelled, causing heads to turn in their direction. Jason flashed them a smile, saying everything was alright. Slowly people turned back around.  
"Your body language would say otherwise," Annabeth said in her stupid smart girl voice.  
"I hate all of you," Will grumbled as he let his forehead bang on the table.  
"No you don't," Luke said with a laugh.  
"It's okay though. We will still love you even if you hook up with a grumpy emo boy," Thalia said jokingly.

"He's not a grumpy emo boy," Will mumbled into the table.  
"And you keep defending him. Will don't even deny it," Jason said.  
"I'm so glad Percy isn't here right now," the blond said, trying to change the subject.  
"Because he would march your ass right to Nico and force you two together," Luke said matter of fact.  
"Can I just plead the fifth at this point?" Will asked.  
"That is to save one from self incrimination. If there wasn't anything there, then there would be no need to plead the fifth," Annabeth told him.  
"It doesn't even matter what I say at this point," Will grumbled.  
"No because we all know how you feel," Piper said.  
"Whatever. I'm done with this conversation," Will said, resting his arms under his head and letting out a frustrated sigh.  
"We are going to let it go for now but I say it will be about a week," Luke told the table.  
"Not even a week," Jason replied.  
"And now you guys are talking like I'm not even here," Will mumbled.  
"I'm sorry, did you hear something?" Thalia asked, earning a laugh from the group, well all but Will.

Lucky for Will, the bell rang, dismissing him from the hell he was in. The group parted with a few laughs while Will trudged away to his next class. Again, he couldn't concentrate and he found himself counting down the seconds until he could see Nico next. When the bell rang, he nearly ran to class. He had to catch himself and forced himself to walk to class. He knew he would beat Nico there anyway. He sat in his seat and tried to keep himself from looking too eager. When the Italian boy finally showed up and took his seat, Will had to bite back a smile and force himself to stay calm. He wasn't sure what was coming over him but it wasn't love, his friends were wrong.

"What's up?" Nico asked.  
"Huh?" Will said as he pushed his thoughts away and tried to focus.  
"I asked how your day was," Nico said as he took a seat.  
"It's been a day," was all Will responded with.  
"I saw your friends picking on you at lunch," Nico said. Will felt his face heat up, hoping that Nico didn't know just what they had been picking on him for.  
"They do it a lot. Percy isn't here to pick fun at so it turned to me," Will said with a shrug.  
"And it didn't have anything to do with the fact that I brought you to school today?" he raised a knowing eyebrow, causing Will's blush to deepen.  
"A bit," he said honestly.  
"Well I appreciate that you don't think I'm a grumpy emo boy," Nico said, biting back a laugh.  
"Oh gods, you heard that? What else did you hear?" Will asked, contemplating jumping off a bridge at this point.  
"That was pretty much it. I just happened to be on my way out for a smoke when I heard it. I didn't feel like sticking around to hear more," Nico said with a shrug.  
"Okay then," Will mumbled, trying to make himself seem as small as possible.  
"Anyway, since I was sick yesterday, it threw me a day off schedule. Would you be cool with coming over tomorrow to play catchup?" Nico asked. Will was more than grateful for the change of conversation.

"Uh I have practice but after that I can for a bit," he said. Nico nodded.  
"Okay so when do you normally get out of practice?" Nico asked.  
"Around six or so," Will told him.  
"Okay. It should give us enough time," Nico said more to himself than Will.

For the rest of the class, Will pretended to do homework while Nico sketched in his book with his headphones in. He bobbed his head to the music while his pencil flew across the page. A few times Will caught him zoning out a few times and he wasn't even looking at the page as he drew. It was so intriguing to Will and he ended up abandoning his homework in favor of watching Nico. To Will's dismay, the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the start to his swim practice.

He jogged to the pool and quickly got changed, eager to clear his mind and just swim. He enjoyed the burn of his muscles and the freedom the water provided. He lost himself in the practice and before he knew it, the coach blew the whistle signaling the end. After such a grueling practice, everyone was ready to get out of the water except for Will. He was the last one out of the water and he trudged to the locker room. He took a quick shower and changed, feeling the fatigue of the hard practice setting in. He was dreading walking home but all the guys were gone now and he was the last one in the locker room. He sighed and walked out of the locker room, pulling his hood up and searching his pockets for his headphones. He was about to plug it into his phone when he looked up and couldn't believe his eyes.

Standing in the parking lot, leaning against a bike in a black leather jacket, smoking a cigarette was Nico di Angelo. Will froze, gaping at Nico. Seconds or minutes later, Will wasn't so sure, Nico looked up and smirked.

"What? You just gonna stand there Solace?" Nico asked.  
"Uh, what are you doing here?" Will questioned, finally shaken from his stupor.  
"Giving you a ride. Did you hit the wall too hard or something?" Nico joked.  
"I told you I didn't need a ride though," Will tried to scold him but was too tired to make it menacing.  
"I don't see anyone else here to pick you up," Nico said as he motioned to the empty parking lot. Will scowled but unglued his feet from the cement and walked the rest of the way to the bike.  
"I was going to walk," Will mumbled, eyes downcast.  
"I don't even think you would make it halfway there before you collapsed," Nico told him with a smirk. "Now get on and let's go."

Will sighed and did as he was told. He waited for Nico to climb on before following him. He climbed on the back of the bike and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist before he rested his head on Nico's shoulder and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, the bike stopped and he felt Nico turn around.

"You're home," he said softly. Will slowly lifted his head up and looked around.  
"Thanks," he mumbled tiredly.  
"Do I need to help you inside?" Nico asked. Will shook his head.  
"I'm good. I'm going to go inside and crash," he said. Nico looked at him skeptically but let him off the bike and watched him walk to the door.

Will made it inside, dropped his bag next to the door, and stumbled into his room, collapsing on his bed and falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He didn't wake up until the next morning when his alarm went off. He sighed and fished his phone out of his pocket. He silenced his phone and rolled over. He stretched his sore muscles out and rubbed his eyes. He sat up, deciding against his morning run and instead settling for a shower and a clean pair of clothes.

He was barely dressed and stepping out of the bathroom when his sister pushed him out, slamming the door behind her. Will just shook his head but made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed a bowl of cereal before plopping down on the couch to eat it. Halfway through the bowl, Lee came in through the front door looking exhausted.

"Long day at work?" Will asked his brother. Lee nodded and collapsed down next to him.  
"I have Saturday off though," he said with a small smile.  
"And you have to work yourself to the bone from now until then," Will said with a frown.  
"No it's not like that. Don't even try and start feeling like this is your fault," Lee reprimanded him.  
"I have to go wake up Austin," Will told Lee but it was a bit pointless since he was already passed out.

Will woke up his brother and fed him, making sure both him and his sister were ready for school. He shot Percy a quick text to make sure he would be able to pick him up or if he would have to take the bus. After Percy said that he was better and he would be on his way, he allowed himself to slow down a bit and not feel so rushed.

Percy showed up in time and got them to school. They hung out and waited for the others to show up, which was a bad idea since Jason just had to tell Percy all about Will and Nico. Will left before he could be embarrassed any worse. He avoided them all day until lunch when he had to hear more teasing but instead of taking the bait, he just kept his mouth shut and eventually they gave up and turned to other topics. He made it the rest of the day to Anatomy, which he was all too happy for.

"Hey," Nico greeted as he took a seat.  
"Hey, what's up?" Will asked.  
"Not much. Enjoying the freedom of no parents," Nico said with a laugh.  
"So smoking in the house and pizza?" Will questioned with a smile.  
"No, I don't smoke in the house but it means no pants all day!" he yelled, causing a few of the students to look back at him, which he just turned a glare on them and they quickly turned away.

"I guess that would be a plus," Will said.  
"It is and you will get to see the full benefits tonight," the raven-haired boy said with a wink. Will just rolled his eyes looked down at the book on his desk.  
"I'm not taking my pants off for you," Will responded.  
"You don't have to take them off, I'm capable of getting you out of them myself," Nico's voice sounded, once again, a bit too close for comfort. Will's head snapped up to see a smirking Nico.  
"Stop," he commanded.  
"Oh, taking charge, I like it," Nico whispered.  
"You know what, I'm not having this conversation," Will replied, plugging in his headphone and sticking his tongue out at Nico.

Nico just shrugged and pulled out his sketch pad, setting to work while Will did homework. Near the end of class Will's phone went off.

_From Nico di Angel- We still on for today all joking aside?_

_To Nico di Angel- Yes so long as you promise my pants stay on_

_From Nico di Angel- I'm making no promises about mine. What happens after that I'm not to blame ;)_

_To Nico di Angel- So full of yourself_

_From Nico di Angel- Not even going to say the naughty things that came to mind_

_To Nico di Angel- You are feisty today_

_From Nico di Angel- I'm feisty everyday_

_To Nico di Angel- Why are you texting me?_

_From Nico di Angel- Headphones_

_To Nico di Angel- I can take them out you know_

_From Nico di Angel- Then I wouldn't have gotten the good picture I did_

Will's head snapped up at the last text to see Nico smirking at him. He pulled his headphones out and sighed.

"Did you really take a picture of me?" the blond asked.  
"No I didn't take a picture," Nico said.

"Then was that text just to get my attention?" Will questioned.

Nico just laughed and turned his sketchbook around. Will was once again blown away by Nico's artistic talents. It was a side profile of him but he wasn't hunched over his books, he was looking off in the distance at something with a far away look in his eyes. His hair was wild and fell in his face and his lips were slightly parted.

"I made a picture," Nico said.  
"It's.. It's gorgeous," Will stammered.  
"Well it is of you," Nico said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's not what makes it gorgeous though. It's the way you draw. It's just, so realistic," Will told him.

"I just draw what I see," Nico whispered so quietly Will almost didn't hear him.

Before Will could respond, the bell rang. Nico packed away his stuff and waited for Will to walk out with him.

"I'll be back at six to pick you up," the raven-haired boy said before they parted ways at the door. Will watched him walk away before sprinting to practice.

Will managed to clear his head during practice but as soon as the whistle blew, he was the first out of the water and into the locker room. He was showered and changing before everyone was even out of the pool. He was on his way to the parking lot when he heard Percy yell after him.

"Hey where are you going?" he asked.  
"I have to go work on this project with Nico," he replied.

"Don't you need a ride?" Percy questioned, swimming to the edge of the pool. Will shook his head.  
"Nico should be here."  
"Have fun," Percy winked at him and pushed off the edge, submerging himself in the water.

Will smiled at his friend and jogged outside. He felt his pulse speed up as he saw Nico standing there waiting for him. He walked over to him and smiled. Nico just rolled his eyes and climbed on the bike, Will followed, taking his place behind the raven-haired boy and wrapping his arms around him. Since riding on the bike a few times, Will was growing less anxious being on the bike and instead he was getting excited riding with Nico.

Nico raced through the streets until he stopped in front of his house and parked in front of his garage. Will climbed off expecting Nico to open the garage and park, instead he turned off the bike and walked to the front door. He unlocked it and Will followed him in.

No sooner had the door closed, Nico's jacket was thrown on the couch and his shirt came off. Will couldn't help but roll his eyes at the childness of it all. Will was fairly certain Nico was only doing it to tease him. He followed the now shirtless boy up to his room. He couldn't help but notice that the place wasn't trashed with pizza boxes and take out like he had expected. He wasn't sure if Nico had cleaned because he was coming over or he really wasn't living off of takeout since his parents were gone.

Nico took his spot in front of the computer and Will grabbed the extra chair and they set to work. About an hour into it, Will's stomach started rumbling so loud that it caused Nico to stop working and stand up.

"Let's go," he said.  
"Go where?" Will asked confused.  
"To the kitchen. You are clearly hungry," Nico responded, walking out of the room and giving Will no choice but to follow.

"What are we having?" Will called out after him.  
"Not sure, let's see what there is," Nico said over his shoulder.

Nico stopped in front of the refrigerator and started looking through it. After grabbing a few things out, he turned to the cabinets and rummaged through until he came out with some stuff. He dropped it all on the counter and started grabbing pots and pans.

"What are we making?" Will asked, washing his hands.

"We?" Nico questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I'm making spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast and a salad. I don't know about you."  
"I can help," Will told him, sticking out his lip in a fake pout.

"Fine, start boiling the water," Nico instructed.

The two settled in a comfortable silence as the two started working around each other. Nico told Will what he needed and Will did it. They worked really well together and before too long they had the table set and the food cooked. They sat down, filled their plates, and enjoyed the meal they had created.

By the time both plates were empty, neither had much to say because they were too full. Will stood up to clean the dishes and Nico tried to argue with him about it and they had no choice but to settle on putting away the leftovers and doing the dishes together. Once everything was dried and put away, they made their way back to Nico's room to do more homework.

No sooner had they sat back down, Will's phone went off and he grabbed it from the desk to check it.

_From Michael- She's here. Can you stay with Percy or something? Austin and Kayla are at a friends_

Will felt his world crash around him. He knew that Nico was saying something but all he could heard was the blood rushing to his head. He started hyperventilating and he clutched his head, trying to stop the memories.

Nico \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Will? Will! What's wrong?" Nico asked as soon as he realized that Will was no longer paying attention to the work and instead had lost all the color in his face. His phone fell to the ground and he buried his face in his hands, small whimpers passing through his lips.

"NO!" the blond yelled. "Stop, please," he begged.

Nico had no idea what was wrong but he took a few deep breathes to calm himself down before he kneeled down in front of Will and gently pried his fingers from his hair and laced their fingers together.

"Will, I'm right here. It's okay," Nico cooed softly.  
"No it's not! No!" he yelled, trying to pull his hands away. Nico gripped his hands tighter and refused to let go.

"Will, breath. Listen to my voice, come back to me," Nico kept his voice even and calm even though his heart was racing.

"I.. I can't.. She's back," he gasped out, forgetting to breath.  
"Will, just focus, I'm right here. It's okay. Come back to me. I need you to listen to my voice. Can you do that?" Will nodded. "Good. Just breath," Nico instructed. He wasn't sure what else to do so he started singing a song he remember his mom and sister singing to him when he was younger. "Fa la ninna, fa la nanna, Nella braccia della mamma, Fa la ninna bel bambin, Fa la nanna bambin bel, Fa la ninna, fa la nanna, Nella braccia della mamma," Nico sang in Italian. As he finished he finally got a positive response from Will.

"N.. Nico?" he called out, opening his eyes.  
"Yes, I'm right here," he said.

"I.. I'm sorry," he whispered. Nico shook his head.  
"It's nothing to be sorry for," he told the blond.

"I have to go," Will said, seemingly growing frantic again.  
"Go where?" Nico asked, not letting him stand up.  
"I have to see if I can stay with Percy or Jason tonight," he told Nico, trying to stand up again but being firmly held in place by Nico.  
"You aren't going anywhere right now. You need to calm down and collect yourself first," Nico said sternly.

"I have to figure out before it gets too late," Will said.  
"Why?" Nico questioned, not letting him get up without a good answer.  
"Because," was all Will would say.  
"Not good enough. You just had a panic attack about something and now you're trying to just jump up and go. It doesn't work like that," Nico told him, knowing full well just how exhausted the blond must be feeling.

"I can't go home tonight," Will admitted.  
"Can you tell me why?" Nico questioned, loosening his grip but not letting go completely.

"It's a long story," Will said, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes.

"I have time," Nico said softly. Will sighed and closed his eyes.

"To start with, I live with siblings. Our dad ran off before my youngest brother was born. My mom was always really bad into drugs and alcohol. When she drank she got violent. My older brothers tried to protect us from it but when they were at school, they feared for Kayla and Michael graduated high school he moved out to start school and Lee was working all the time, leaving me to protect my two younger siblings. One night when Austin was about three, he got really sick and wouldn't stop crying, my mom had enough of it and went to 'shut up the fucking demon' as she so eloquently put it, with a bottle of tequila. I went after her and told Kayla to hide herself with Austin. I took the bottle from her and she lashed out. I was trying to wrestle her to the ground when Lee came home. He pulled her off of me and told me to call the cops. After she was arrested and took our statements, she was put in jail and me, Kayla, and Austin were going to be split up and put into foster homes when Michael and Lee said they would never allow that to happen and got custody of us. We sold the house and moved into the house we are in now. Lee and Michael work to take care of us and we haven't seen our mother since that night. Then my brother just text and said she somehow found us. She's at our house. Thankfully they got Austin and Kayla out but I have to find somewhere to stay tonight. I don't know how long she has been out of jail but I'm not ready to face her and I have to find somewhere to go," Will said, his voice breaking and tears streaming down his face.

Nico noticed Will refused to look him in the eye and he felt back for the blond. Without a second thought, Nico stood up and wrapped Will in a hug.

"You can stay here tonight," he told the blond. "There is plenty of room and you really don't need to be going anywhere in this condition. You need to take a shower and lie down."  
"I couldn't do that," Will mumbled into Nico's shoulder.

"Yes you could and yes you will," Nico said in a tone that left no room for argument. "I have some clothes that should fit you. Now let's get you into the shower," he said, taking his hand and pulling him along to the bathroom.

Nico sat him on the toilet and walked back to his room to grab some basketball shorts and a shirt he hoped would fit. He walked back to the bathroom where Will was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Nico tossed the clothes onto the counter and turned on the water.

"Do you want me to leave you now or do you need help in?" Nico asked, his normal joking tone completely gone. Will shook his head.  
"I can do it. Thank you though," Nico just nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

As he heard Will start moving around, he walked to his room to save his work and close it out for the night. Then he walked to the guest room and made the bed for Will. He sent a quick text to his parents to tell them that some personal stuff had happened with Will and he would be staying the night. They okay'ed it and asked how he was doing. As he was texting them, he hadn't realized Will was out of the shower until he collapsed on the bed next to Nico.

Nico looked over and felt his breath catch in his throat. Will's hair was wet and he had it brushed back but that didn't stop strands from falling on his face and sticking to his cheeks and nose. He was slightly flushed from the heat of water and Nico got a good look at Will's tanned, toned legs since he was in shorts.

"Feel better?" Nico asked as he finally found his voice.

"A bit," Will told him. "Is it really okay if I stay? I don't want to be a burden."  
"I already told my parents and it just means you can keep me company in the big lonely house," Nico said with a smile. "I made the bed in the spare room for you. I can show you what room it is if you want. I'm sure you are exhausted." Will looked away and started fidgeting with his shirt again. "What?" Nico asked, worried he had said something wrong.  
"Uh, I've never had a room to myself and I've never stayed by myself alone in a room before," he mumbled.

"Would you feel better if you stayed in here?" Nico questioned. Will gave a small nod.  
"I'll sleep on the floor. I just, don't want to be alone tonight."

"That's fine. The bed is big enough for two anyway. Let me just grab you a blanket," Nico told him as he got up and walked back to the guest room to grab the blanket he had put on the bed.

By the time he made it back to his room, Will was curled up in his blanket on the edge of the bed. Nico laughed to himself and flipped the switch for the light, engulfing the room in darkness. Nico made his way to his bed and collapsed on his side of the bed and wrapped himself in the blanket that was meant for Will. He fished his phone out of his pocket and tossed it on his bedside table before stretching and getting comfortable.

After a few minutes of tossing and turning, Nico opened his eyes and glared at the darkness.

"Will?" Nico asked softly, careful not to wake him up if he was already asleep.

"Yes?" he replied, Nico could feel him turn to face him.

"You know, I really don't blame Percy," Nico said, saying it for the very first time even though he had known for months.  
"Where did this come from?" Will asked.

"I just, you told me about your mom and I feel like… I don't know. After seeing you having a panic attack it reminded me of me after Bee had died and I just feel like you should know," Nico explained. "After she died, I ran off to Italy to stay with my mom's brother Thanatos. I couldn't deal with the loss of her. For a long time I did blame Percy but as the anger faded and the hurt came in, I realized I didn't really blame him. I was mad at myself and I was mad at her but I knew it wasn't his fault. I, I had a crush on him for a long time when he started hanging around my sister. I saw him as this perfect guy who could do no wrong. He was older, he was hot, he was nice and funny and he was like a god in my eyes. Then after I learned that he tried to save my sister and failed, it shattered that illusion I had of him. He was no longer this god that could do no wrong, now he was just a person who made mistakes and who couldn't do everything. But I was so mad and needed an outlet and took it out on him. I regret it but when I see him, it's like seeing her all over again and it makes it hurt all over again." Nico took a deep breath to calm himself before going on. "That's why I got my tattoo. I needed an a way to deal with the pain I was feeling and drew it up and got it tattooed over the three months I was in Italy. With each session, I could feel some of my anger chipping away. It's a reminder of who I was, what I lost, how I felt, how I still feel. No amount of blaming anyone will ever bring her back but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell everyday."

As Nico finished, the room was deathly silent. He wasn't sure why he had told Will his biggest secret but he felt better after saying it to someone finally. He wasn't sure what he expected but feeling Will move closer and reach out and feel around until he found his hand was not it. Neither said a word and instead let the silence take over as the warmth of their combined hands reminded each of them that they weren't alone.

When Nico had finally fallen asleep, he knew he had a blanket over him. When he rolled over, he felt the cold creep into his bones. He blindly reached around for his covers but came up empty, as he felt around his bed, he finally touched something and pulled it over him. He was grateful for the warmth that it provided. He was just about to drift back off when he felt a warm body attach to his naked chest. For a second, Nico stopped breathing, confusion taking over. Then the events of last night came rushing back and he knew it was Will cuddled up next to him. He smiled to himself and wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer. Will made a noise but didn't move away and instead threw an arm around Nico's chest and rested his head right under Nico's chin. Nico lightly kissed the top of Will's head and fell back asleep.

A few hours later, the annoying tone of an unfamiliar alarm was going off and Nico was about ready to throw it out the window, if he had known where it had came from. The weight on his chest shifted and then the ringing stopped. Nico silently thanked whatever was out there because he was on the verge of going insane.

"Sorry," Will mumbled into Nico's chest.  
"What time is it?" Nico asked.  
"It's too early," Will responded.

"Then why was there a god awful alarm set?" Nico questioned.  
"Because I normally go running," Will said with a yawn.

Nico reached out and grabbed his phone, unlocking it and squirting at the bright light. Once his eyes adjusted he glared at the boy laying on top of him.

"It's five in the fucking morning!" Nico yelled.  
"Yes, I am well aware," Will told him.  
"Why the hell am I awake at five?!" the raven-haired boy was growing more angry by the second.

"I forgot to turn off my alarm," Will said apologetically.

Nico let out a string of curses but didn't say anything else on the matter. He just threw his free arm over his eyes and tried to go back to sleep for another two hours. He was not, and never had been, a morning person. If he had his way, he wouldn't be up before noon. He felt himself drifting off as Will ghosted his fingers over his sides.

Not even an hour and a half later, Nico's alarm went off. He groaned and complained but reached over and shut it off. He wrapped his other arm around Will tighter and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Don't wanna get up," he mumbled.

"We have to though," Will said, his voice still heavy with sleep.  
"I mean, we could always stay in bed," Nico suggested.  
"And get in trouble?" the blond asked.  
"What's a little more trouble? I'm almost always in trouble," Nico pointed out.  
"Well I'm not and we have to go to school. The assignment is due tomorrow you know. Plus I have a huge swim tournament coming up in two days." Will informed the boy who seemed to be falling back asleep. He ghosted his fingers over Nico's bare sided and felt him shiver under him.  
"Feels good," Nico mumbled with a small smile.  
"I'll make a deal with you," Will said with a smirk.  
"I'm half listening," Nico said.  
"I will promise to do this more tonight if you get up for school," Will bargained.  
"Tonight huh?" Nico's eyes cracked open and he looked down at the blond.  
"Well I figured we would be finishing up the assignment," he said as his cheeks heated up.  
"Oh yeah, that," Nico said, acting like he had forgotten about it. "Ugh I guess I could get up but you owe me Sunshine," Nico told him as he stretched.

"I know," Will whispered.  
"Oh don't even try and start a pity party. It's too early for that and you only owe me for waking me up at five in the fucking morning. Who the fuck even does that?" Nico complained as his arm tightened around Will.

"Nico. We have to get up," Will said with a small laugh.  
"But when you do that it just makes me want to go back to sleep," Nico whined as Will's fingers stopped running along his sides and the blond slipped out of his grip.  
"No more until later," Will said.  
"You are a tease," Nico told the smiling boy. "I will have my revenge."  
"Oh no. This is my revenge for that scene outside a few days ago!" Will responded.  
"This time it's going to be much worse," Nico warned.

"It couldn't get much worse," Will mumbled as he climbed out of the bed and stood up, stretching. "Shit!" he cursed. "I don't have any clothes and we can't to go to my house."  
"All the more reason to stay home," Nico said as he curled back up into his blanket.

Will rolled his eyes and pulled the blanket off of Nico. Nico glared at him but eventually sat up.

"Fine. You can borrow some of mine. The shorts fit you so keep them. I'll look for a shirt," he complained as he finally got up. He walked to his closet and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He searched around for some pants and shirt for himself, dressing before he looked for a shirt that would fit Will. He found an old black Bring me the Horizon that was too long for him and assumed it would fit the blond. He stepped out of the closet, fully dressed in ripped black skinny jeans and a Don't pray for me Asking Alexandria shirt. He tossed the extra shirt to Will.

"This should fit a bit better than the one you are wearing," Nico said.  
"Thanks," the blond said as he caught it. He pulled off the other shirt Nico had let him borrow and pulled on the new one.

Nico couldn't help but let his eyes wander over Will's body. He had the build of an athlete. He was toned but not to the point of being overly buff. His six pack looked like it had been chiseled by the gods themselves and Nico found himself licking his lips as his eyes found his blond happy trail. He had to shake the thoughts away as Will pulled the shirt on. Instead, Nico turned to look for his wallet and grab his backpack. He shoved everything he would need in it and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ready?" he asked the blond who was going through his own backpack.  
"Yeah, as ready as I can be," Will replied.  
"You don't think she will show up at the school do you?" Nico questioned, worried for Will. He shook his head.  
"If anything she will stay at the house and wait for us to show up," Will told him.  
"Well I'll pick you up after practice again and hopefully by then you will know if she is gone or not. If not you can stay again," Nico said. Will shook his head.  
"I can't ask you to do that. You already let me.." Nico cut him off with a glare.  
"I didn't ask. Now let's go," the raven haired boy said, walking out of his room and leaving no room for argument.

Will had no choice but to follow. They went out the front door and Nico locked it before jumping on his bike and starting it up. Will climbed on and wrapped his arms around Nico and seconds later they were off. The made it to the school with plenty of time to spare. Will climbed off the bike as Nico turned it off. Instead of walking over to his group of friends, the blond stayed with Nico as he lit up a cigarette.

"Why are you still here?" Nico asked.  
"I thought I would keep you company until class started," Will said as he scrunched up his face when the smoke invaded his nostrils.  
"What about your friends?" Nico questioned.  
"What about them?" Will responded.  
"They are going to talk," the raven-haired boy pointed out.  
"They already do," Will said with a shrug.  
"Whatever," was all Nico said, puffing on the cancer stick and leaning against his bike.

Will stayed with Nico until the bell rang. They said their goodbyes and went to their own classrooms. As soon as Will was gone, Nico had to take a few minutes just to try and force his mind to clear before he went to class. He tried to focus but it just wouldn't work. His mind refused to think about anything but Will and he found his hand thinking the same thing. By lunch he had four full pages in his sketchbook of nothing but Will. He gave up trying and went out to have a smoke. It just so happened that Will and his friends were all outside too. Nico sighed, he had to pass them to get to his smoking spot. He thought about just going back inside but he really needed a smoke break. He held his head high and walked past them. They didn't even notice him but he heard what they were talking about.

"We saw you this morning," Luke started.  
"You were on his bike," Thalia finished.  
"Just admit it. You like him," Percy said.

Will didn't respond, he just hid his head on his hands and kept repeating 'Lalalalalalalala'.

"Why won't you just tell him?" Annabeth asked.  
"I'm sure he feels the same way about you or he wouldn't even let you near his bike," Jason said, trying to be helpful.  
"You can't let moments like these pass you up," Piper added.  
"Guys," Will whined. "Please stop."  
"We will not until you tell him. I saw the way you were looking at him this morning," Percy said in a serious, very un-Percy like voice.  
"I'm not his type," Will said miserably.

That was when Nico turned back the way he had come from. He walked back through the school and the art classroom. He had too many things on his mind and he needed to clear his head. He pulled out an easel and paper. He turned on some music and started drawing. By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Nico had finished the rough sketch and was ready to choose his medium.

"Well Mr. di Angelo, I see you have been busy," the teacher said as he inspected Nico's work.  
"I can't decide what to finish it with though," he admitted to the teacher. "It has to be perfect."

The art teacher took a step back and really looked at it. He hummed and snapped his fingers. He walked to the cabinets and grabbed some paint and brushes. He handed them to Nico and smiled.

"Watercolor?" Nico asked.  
"I think it would be the best," was all he said. Nico shrugged and decided it was the best option he had.

He painted all through class and was disappointed when the bell rang. He looked at his work and sighed. He was almost done with it and didn't want to leave it but he had to get to his other classes. He cleaned up and set his work off to the side and facing the wall so others couldn't see it.

Nico made it to Anatomy with a clearer head than he had had all day. He took his seat at the back of the class and waited on his partner to show up.

Will \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Will's day had not gotten better since lunch. He went to Spanish only to have Leo shower him with questions about Nico. It seemed Percy had texted Leo to tell him all about Will's new crush. Will only managed to shut him up when he mentioned Leo's current crush, who just so happened to be in the class. After that Leo promised to pay Will back for the embarrassment.

He spent the rest of the class with his face buried in his arms on his desk. When the bell finally rang and class let out, Will trudged to Anatomy, not really ready to face Nico.

Of course when he got there, Nico was already there with his sketchbook out. Will took his place to Nico and pulled out homework from a previous class.

"Hey," the raven-haired boy greeted him, not even looking up.  
"Hi," Will replied. "What are you working on?"

Instead of answering, Nico just held up his book and revealed a very rough sketch of his sister with another woman who looked a lot like Nico.

"Your mother?" Will asked. Nico just nodded. "It looks good."  
"Thanks," Nico said. "Anyway, tonight you are still coming over so we can put the finishing touches on the project right?"  
"Yes and you don't have to worry about me staying over. My brother called and said she was gone," Will told Nico. A look of disappointment passed over Nico's face but he nodded and went back to drawing.  
"Okay, I'll be here at six to get you," Nico said. Will nodded and started his homework.

It seemed the rest of the class was in panic mode. The assignment was due the following day and many had underestimated their time limits and put too much on their plates and were scrambling to get it done. Will had been worried about it but after spending a few days on it with Nico, all the doubts vanished from his mind. He was sure that if they had really wanted to, their project could have danced and sung a song if they really wanted it too. The other kids had really underestimated Nico. He might have had a scary exterior but Will knew that was only to keep people at bay so he wouldn't get hurt. Once you actually got to know him, he was really smart and kind. Not that Will would ever tell anyone that, Nico would probably murder him.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Nico and Will both packed up and walked out of the class together. Nico walked with Will to his locker and even walked him to the pool. He looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it.

"I'll see you tonight," Nico said, scoffing his boot on the ground.  
"Sounds good," Will told him and headed to the locker room.  
"Will!" Nico called out after him, he turned around and looked at the Italian boy. "What do you want for dinner?" at that moment Will wanted nothing more than to just say 'you', but he stuck with.  
"Tacos sound nice," Nico nodded and walked away.

Swim practice was brutal and Will wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for a week but he knew that couldn't happen. He had to meet with Nico and finish their project and then the day after they turned that in he had a swim tournament he had to be in but after that he decided he could sleep for a week.

Nico was waiting outside for him just as promised. He was leaned against his bike and typing away on his phone. He looked up as Will got closer.

"You're late," Nico said, holding out his phone to show that it was 6:03.  
"So sue me," Will said, sticking his tongue out.  
"I might just do that," Nico teased, climbing on the bike. Will climbed on behind him and they took off.

They made it to Nico's house and once again went through the front door. The second it was opened, Will smelt an amazing aroma. He followed it all the way to the kitchen. Nico followed and started pulling stuff out of the oven.

"You actually made tacos!" Will exclaimed excitedly.

"I did ask what you wanted," Nico pointed out. "I had to ask Leo for a recipe though."  
"You know Leo?" Will asked.

"Yeah," was all Nico said.  
"I didn't know that," Will said.  
"Not many people do. I used to tutor him in some subject and in exchange he made me tacos and taught me some Spanish," Nico said with shrug.  
"He's the only reason I am passing my Spanish class," Will told him with a laugh.

They set the table and sat down to eat, making small talk about classes and Will's swim tournament. When they were done, they both cleared the table and washed the dishes before going up to Nico's room and finishing up with project. Nico pulled it up on his computer and they looked over it, making notes on what was missing and what could be cleaned up a bit.

After they had inspected it and decided on the final touches, Nico went to work and Will started drifting off. He was having weird dreams about giant naked statues when he felt himself being shaken. He opened his eyes and realized he was face to face with Nico.

"Huh?" Will's confused response came out.

"I said, go lay on my bed for a bit," Nico repeated.  
"'M fine," he said tiredly. Nico gave him a glare and he knew that he couldn't argue. He sighed and stood up, making his way to Nico's bed and collapsing on top of it. No sooner had he climbed on top of the blankets, he was out again.

Nico saved their project and sent it to export while he changed and went to workout for a bit. He covered up Will and grabbed his phone, sending a text to his brother to let him know where he was.

Will woke up again when he felt the bed move. He opened his eyes but it was pitch black. He was confused for a second until he remembered where he was.

"Nico?" the blond asked.  
"Yeah?" Nico responded.  
"What time is it?" Will mumbled, his voice still heavy with sleep.  
"Late. I already told your brother you were here. Now go back to sleep," Nico said.

Will could feel Nico shifting and adjusting and to get comfortable. As soon as he stopped moving, Will scooted closer until he was next to Nico and he reached out and started ghosting his fingers over Nico's naked stomach and chest. He felt Nico shiver under him.

"I told you to go to bed," Nico softly scolded.  
"Workin on it," Will replied.

Instead of answering, Nico wrapped his arm around Will and pulled him closer. The blond rest his head on Nico's chest and draped on of his legs over Nico's.

"Night Sunshine," Nico murmured.  
"Night Angel," Will replied.

The next morning the two were woken by Nico's alarm. Will pulled the blanket over his head and refused to believe it was time for school again.

"It's my turn to not go to school," Will whined from under the blanket. He could feel Nico's chest shake as he laughed.  
"You made me go yesterday," the raven-haired youth pointed out.

"So tired," Will mumbled.  
"It's Friday," Nico said.  
"Don't care," Will continue to whine.

"Suit yourself. I'm great in bed," Nico whispered in Will's ear. The blond sat straight up, his face brighter than a tomato. "I can sleep for days," Nico finished, winking at the blushing blond.

"I hate you," Will told Nico, climbing out of the bed and stretching.  
"No you don't," Nico said matter of fact.

Will rolled his eyes and marched into Nico's bathroom. He turned on the shower, not even thinking about the fact that he once again didn't have any clothes. He showered quickly and it was only as he was drying off that he realized his dilemma. As he was thinking about his next course of action, there was a knock on the door and Nico popped his head in.

"I'm going to assume you have a problem," he said with a smirk.  
"Are you just going to taunt me more di Angelo or are you here for a reason?" Will asked.  
"Well I would just like to point out that this is my bathroom for starters and I was going to help but if you just want to be an ass," Nico turned to walk out and Will stopped him.

"Yes I need help. I need to borrow some clothes again," the blond admitted.

Nico tossed him a bag and turned and walk back out. Will opened the bag to see a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a black Motionless in White tank top that looked like it came from Hot Topic. There was also a new pair of bright pink boxers for him that made him silently curse Nico and some socks. He was grateful that Nico had been thoughtful enough to get him new clothes but he was pretty sure it was partially for Nico's own amusement.

When the blond finally emerged from the bathroom, Nico was already dressed and packing up his laptop. He was dressed in a pair of purple skinny jeans and a ripped white Pierce the Veil tank. It was very un-Nico like and it took Will by surprise. The boy just smirked at him when he saw him.

"I think I should have gotten the lighter blue pants," he said.  
"Why would you do that for?" Will asked.  
"Because blue looks good on you," Nico responded.  
"If you say so. You ready for today?" Will questioned, referring to their project. Nico shrugged.  
"I've seen some of the other kid's stuff. We could have done half of what we did and still finish top of the class," Nico said, not even boasting, just stating facts. Will nodded and got all his stuff packed away in his bag.

They both left the house and headed to the school. Nico had his morning smoke and Will once again stayed with him. They parted ways as the bell rang and went through their classes. Will didn't see Nico at lunch and once again spent the entire hour being teased by his friends. It was even worse once Will accidentally admitted to staying at his house twice in a row and got worse as he pulled out the leftover tacos he had packed up to eat. They all proclaimed that Will was in love and that if he didn't tell Nico soon they were going to stage an intervention and do it for him. He was just about to argue when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored his friends and pulled it out.

_From Nico di Angel- Hey. If you're not busy can you meet me in the art room?_

_To Nico di Angel- I am done with lunch. I'll be there in a few. Everything ok?_

_From Nico di Angel- Yea, just have something I want to show you_

Will stood up and threw his empty containers in his bag. He said bye to his friends and took off before they could ask him where he was going. He navigated the hallways until he stood in front of a room he wasn't very familiar with but he knew what it was.

When he walked in he saw Nico sitting in the middle of the room with a huge canvas in front of him and he was singing along to Panic at the Disco. When he heard him come in he turned to face Will who couldn't help but smile at the sight. The raven-haired boy had paint smeared on his face and all over the smock he was wearing.

"Hey," Will greated.

"Seems so fitting for, happily ever after, how could I ask for more? A lifetime of laughter at the expense of the death of a bachelor," Nico finished singing and ran his fingers through his hair. "So," Nico started, sounding nervous. "I made something and I want to turn it in as my final project but in doing so, it also ends up in an art show and I wanted to get your permission," he finished, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Why would you need my permission?" Will asked. Nico moved and allowed Will to see the entire canvas.

He was rendered speechless by what he was seeing. It was a painting of him. He was standing in front of a mirror in a tux. In the painting Will was looking at himself in the mirror and fixing the cuff on his jacket. His hair was tamed and he seemed to have a sort of glow around him. His blue eyes were the focus of the picture and they were so intense Will felt like he was looking into his own soul. The edges of the picture were a bit blurred out, leaving only him as the clear object in the picture. Will wasn't sure how long he stood there just admiring the picture but it was long enough to make Nico even more nervous as he cleared his throat.

"If you don't like it I understand it's just it's of you so I wanted to ask and.." Nico ranted until Will stopped him.  
"It's amazing. How could I say no? This is just, wow. Nico you are amazing," Will complimented, Nico turned away and examined his boot.

"You are really okay with it?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Will crossed the room and pulled Nico into a hug. He felt the boy tense up under him but he quickly melted into the embrace and hugged him back. Will pulled away and Nico looked like he wanted to say more but the bell rang, stopping any further conversation. Will took one last look at the painting and waved to Nico, telling him he would seem him next class. Nico just nodded and started cleaning up his mess.

Will made it through Spanish, with Leo once again on his case. He promised to tell Leo everything he wanted to know on one condition, the hispanic boy had to ask out his crush Calypso. Leo grumbled and ignored Will the rest of the class.

As the bell rung, Will raced to Anatomy and was the first one in there. As more students came in, some looked dejected, some looked nervous, while others whispered about excuses to use. Some came in with poster boards, one group came in with a full skeleton, another group had a box full of unknown things, and lastly Nico strolled in and took his seat.

The teacher took attendance and explained that the groups would come up and present their project. They could volunteer or he would call them himself. A few hands shot up and so the presentations begin. Nico pulled out his laptop and started clicking things.

"When do you want to go?" Will whispered, trying to be courteous to the group who was talking.

"Don't care," he said with a shrug.  
"That's helpful," the blond rolled his eyes.

They watched a few more groups go before Will finally raised his hand. The teacher called on their group and Will and Nico made their way to the front. He could hear the students whispers but he kept his head high, trying to keep the smirk from his face as he knew their project would blow them out of the water.

Nico hooked his computer to the projector and waited on it to load. As soon as it was ready, Will hit the lights and he hit play. At first there was just a skeleton, but as it progressed, muscles started to grow on the white bones, as that happened, the skeleton started to move. At first it was little gestures like wiggling it's fingers or shaking it's head. As more muscles appeared, it started jumping and waving. As the layers of muscles were added, the camera zoomed in to reveal networks of veins running throughout the structure. As the camera raced along the veins from head to toe, the camera zoomed out to show skin growing. As that happened, eyes, hair, teeth, and other parts were added to make it a full model of a human. He blinked, inspected his new body, looked at the camera in amazement, and then ran off the screen.

Will flipped the lights back on and gave Nico a thumbs up. He shrugged and mouthed 'Told you so'. The teacher whispered something to Nico who just nodded and unplugged his computer. All the students started grumbling and complaining, all of them knowing that their projects couldn't outdo what we had just done. We took our seats and Will high fived Nico.

"We did it," Will said happily.  
"Now for a nap," Nico told him, resting his head on his arms and closing his eyes.  
"Lazy," Will teased.  
"Had a late night workout. I'm allowed to be tired," the raven-haired boy replied.  
"You did?" Will asked.  
"Yeah, you were passed out. I worked out and showered. You didn't even wake up until I climbed into the bed," Nico said.

"I don't remember waking up," Will told him.  
"We had a conversation," Nico informed him.  
"Strange. I remember you telling me to get into the bed and then waking up to your alarm," Will said.  
"Then I guess I shouldn't tell you about the amazing.." Nico started to say but was silenced by the teacher.

Nico pulled out his phone instead and started typing. A few seconds later Will's phone went off.

_From Nico di Angel- So you probably don't remember the amazing bj you gave me_

_To Nico di Angel- Hardy har har. Very funny. I didn't give you a bj -_-_

_From Nico di Angel- Yes you did. You told me how hot I was and how much you wanted to do dirty things to me and then I told you you could do them and then you went down on me :P_

_To Nico di Angel- I think you were just having dirty dreams of me. Nico why would you be having dirty dreams about me?_

_From Nico di Angel- I wasn't the one moaning in my sleep ;)_

_To Nico di Angel- Shut up_

Will put his phone away and just glared at Nico, who was unphased by it. The blond slumped down further into his seat and tried to cover what Nico had done to him via text. He was embarrassed but it had been awhile since he had done anything and the Italian had a way of doing things to Will and making him want to do things. He spent the rest of class thinking of things to make his boner go away.

As the bell rang, Will shoved his stuff into his bag and waited on Nico. The two walked to Will's locker and then to the pool. They both stood there a bit awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

"So are you going to need a ride today?" Nico asked, finally breaking the silence. Will shook his head.  
"Since the tournament is tomorrow I'm staying with Percy so I can ride with him in the morning," Will explained. Nico just nodded and turned to leave but Will reached out for him, grabbing his hand to stop him. "Will you, will you come watch me swim tomorrow? I mean if you're busy or something then I understand. It would just mean a lot to me," it all came out in a rush but Will never once looked away.  
"I'll see what I can do," Nico told him. It seemed to be a good enough answer for the blond because he nodded and let go of Nico's hand.

Will jogged to the locker room to get changed while Nico walked out the front door and to his bike.

Nico \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nico was surprised to find his father's car in the garage when he made it home from school. He parked his bike and entered through the garage door. Almost instantly his step mother pulled him into a hug.

"Nico! We missed you so much," she said.  
"I missed you too," he gasped out, having trouble breathing in her tight embrace.  
"Let him go Seph, he just got here and you're already smothering him, literally," Hades spoke up from behind her. She released Nico and turned and playfully swatted her husband.

"So how was it? I see the house hasn't been burned down," Persephone asked. Nico shrugged.  
"Went to school and did homework, finished two finals. Will wants me to go to his swim meet tomorrow," Nico recaped.

"I take it you two behaved," Hades stated.  
"No not at all. We actually didn't do any homework we just.." Nico was cut off by his mother's glare.  
"Don't even finish that sentence," she warned.

"Scusate," Nico mumbled.  
"How did your final go?" she asked.  
"The teacher said he wants to use it to show students next year so I'm taking it as we did good," Nico said.  
"Very good, regarding the swim meet tomorrow," Hades started. "Are you planning on going?"  
"I was if you guys didn't have any plans," Nico told his father.  
"We would love to go watch Will swim," Persephone said.  
"We would?" Hades asked his wife. She glared at him and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Looks like we are going to see Will swim tomorrow," Hades said, earning a smile from his wife.  
"You guys don't have to go," Nico told him.  
"He's important to you and it would be good to show the school some support," she said sweetly, leaving no room for argument. Nico knew there was no point in trying to talk back.  
"Okay well, I finished my final piece for art. It will be in the art show at the end of the year, just so you guys know," he informed his parents.  
"I will make sure to get the day off," his father said as he clicked some stuff on his phone.

"That's great! I can't wait to see it," his mom said.  
"Now if that's all, I'm going to go workout," the raven-haired boy told him, going upstairs to change.

He tossed his shirt in the dirty clothes and pulled on a pair of sweats. He grabbed a towel and a bottle of water on his way out. He connected his phone to the speakers and started his workout. After an hour, he was exhausted and dripping in sweat. He finished off his water and tried to dry himself off the best he could with his towel. He unplugged his phone and had a smoke before going upstairs to shower and eat.

He showered quickly and by the time he was done, food was ready. He helped set the table and sat down with his parents to eat. They told him about their trip and even brought him back a few things. He told them about school and how things were going. After dessert they cleaned the table and retired to his office for work while Persephone went to unpack and Nico went to relax in his room.

No sooner had he turned on his TV, his phone vibrated.

_From Will Sunshine- Percy is insufferable_

_To Will Sunshine- I told you that already_

_From Will Sunshine- Ugh!_

_To Will Sunshine- What is he doing?_

_From Will Sunshine- Teasing me and hes not alone! He has help_

_To Will Sunshine- Let me guess, the Grace siblings, Luke, Annabeth, and even Piper_

_From Will Sunshine- You forgot Leo and half the swim team. I'm hiding in the bathroom. Save me!_

_To Will Sunshine- Why are they teasing you?_

_From Will Sunshine- It doesnt matter! Its bullying and I need to be saved!_

_To Will Sunshine- And you expect me to do it?_

From Will Sunshine- Yes! Ride in on your motorcycle and save the day

_To Will Sunshine- I think you mistake me for someone else. I am no prince and I don't save damsels_

_From Will Sunshine- You could be the Prince of Darkness!_

_To Will Sunshine- Sorry, already taken by a Ozzy Osbourn_

_From Will Sunshine- You find joy in my torment_

_To Will Sunshine- A bit, yes_

_From Will Sunshine- Will you at least be there tomorrow?_

_To Will Sunshine- Yes. The 'rents are coming too_

_From Will Sunshine- Yay! I guess I will see you tomorrow then. I'm going to try and hide in a blanket and sleep_

_To Will Sunshine- Good luck with that_

_From Will Sunshine- Night Nico!_

_To Will Sunshine- Night William_

Nico set his alarm and tossed his phone onto his night stand. He watched TV for a bit before he grew bored of it and shut it off. He turned off the lights and decided to try and sleep. As he curled up under his blankets he half expected a warm body to attach to him but was disappointed when he remember Will wasn't there and he would be sleeping alone. He sighed and turned on his side, drifting off to the thought of Will's warm body next to his.

He woke up the next morning to his alarm going off. At first he was pissed because it was the weekend and there was no reason he should be up early and then he remembered Will and the swim meet. The raven-haired boy got out of the bed and quickly got dressed, making sure his parents were up and finding them already ready and watching TV in the livingroom.

"We still have an hour until it starts, breakfast?" Seph suggested. Both boys nodded and they all made their way to the garage and into Hades car.

They stopped and ate at and iHop, Nico's favorite breakfast place, before going to the school. They paid the entrance fee and found seats near the middle. Nico was surprised to see it so full. He hadn't realized what a big deal all of it really was. He didn't know much about swimming but he had wanted to be there for Will.

The torment started and Nico felt his phone go off. He grabbed it and saw he had a text from Will.

_From Will Sunshine- I'm nervous…_

_To Will Sunshine- You will do just fine. You have been practicing for this_

_From Will Sunshine- There are so many people here…_

_To Will Sunshine- Don't think about that. Focus on the task at hand. No one out here matters. This is between you and those who are swimming against you_

_From Will Sunshine- Are you here yet?_

_To Will Sunshine- Yes. I'm near the middle. Cant miss me. My father and I are both in black while Seph is in pastels -_-_

_From Will Sunshine- I see you_

_To Will Sunshine- Stalker_

_From Will Sunshine- I have to go. My event is coming up soon…_

_To Will Sunshine- Good luck Sunshine_

Nico put his phone away and heard them call for the 100 meter breaststroke. He assumed that was what Will was swimming since he said that he was about to be up. The first heart was called to the block and their names appeared on the board. The whistle blew and they were off. Nico searched the group of swimmers and found Will grouped with the second heat. He looked jittery and then he turned and locked eyes with Nico. The dark haired boy gave him a small smile and the blond instantly relaxed.

The first heat finished and the second was called up. As soon as Will stepped up, cheers erupted from the front and Nico looked down to see a small group cheering. He could only assume they were Will's siblings. Nico couldn't help but smile to himself. He was glad that Will's family was there for him. His eyes found Will again and he watched as the whistle blew and the swimmers took off. Nico couldn't take his eyes off the blond the entire time. It was his first time watching the blond swim and he was in amazement. Watching the way he practically glided through the water and seeing his muscles strain with each stroke, Nico found beauty in it. He hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath until Will's hand touch the wall and his clock stopped. He had finished first in his heat but there will still three more to go.

Nico didn't even bother to watch the other heats, his eyes were glued to Will who kept looking at the scoreboard. He had a towel wrapped around himself and he was nervously pulling at it and fidgeting with it. Nico wanted nothing more than to go down there and wrap him in a hug so he would calm down. Instead, he waited until the final heat was over and looked to the scoreboard, before he could even register what it said, loud cheers erupted from Will's family. They had seen Will's name in first place seconds before Nico had. As soon as his brain registered what happened, he was on his feet and cheering with the rest of the crowd.

As the crowd settled back down, Nico's parents stood to leave.

"We will be in the car," Hades said, taking his wife's hand and leaving.

Nico made his way down to Will and his family. The blond was currently being attacked by a smaller version of himself while he was being congratulated by two other guys where were covered in freckles but looked older. They both had darker hair but there was no denying they were siblings. The last to say anything was a girl with red hair. At first Nico wondered who she was but then he saw the freckles across her face and knew she must have been his sister.

He waited until they had finished to clear his throat, causing five pairs of eyes to turn to him.

"Nico!" Will said as the boy took a few steps closer. "I'm so glad you could make it!" the blond beamed.  
"Congrats. That was amazing to see," Nico said a bit awkwardly.

"I can't believe I placed, much less finished first. It's all so surreal!" Will gushed.

"After watching you, it's not that hard to believe. I can see you giving Percy a run for his money," Nico joked.  
"Don't let him hear you say that. He might cut off one of my arms," Will laughed.  
"You might need that," Nico coughed. "Later," he whispered, looking at Will with a teasing gaze.  
"Anyway, Nico!" Will said, changing the subject, "These are my siblings, Kayla, Lee, Michael, and Austin. Guys, this is Nico," Will introduced them.  
"Nico to meet you," Nico said to the four.  
"Thank you for allowing Will to stay. It was very nice of you," Michael said.  
"It wasn't a problem. He kept me company anyway," Nico said.  
"Are you Will's boyfriend? Is that why he stayed with you?" the youngest one, Austin, asked. Will blushed and Nico just laughed.  
"No uh. He. I. We're," Will stammered. Nico couldn't help but find Will cute.  
"Can I tell you a secret Austin?" Nico asked. The blond boy nodded.

Nico leaned down and whispered something to the boy whose eyes grew wide and he smiled. Nico stood back up and looked at Will who was looking at him in confusion.

"What did you say?" Will asked.  
"I said it was a secret didn't I," Nico told the blond. Will looked at his brother who was still smiling.  
"Will you tell me what he said?" he asked his younger brother.

"It's a secret," Austin said "but he told me that I was allowed to tell it," Austin was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "He said that he wants you to be his boyfriend!"

Lee and Michael laughed as Will turned to Nico. The raven-haired boy shrugged and tried to look indifferent.

"I guess the cat's outta the bag," he said.  
"Do you really mean it?" Will asked. Nico nodded. "I didn't think I was your type."  
"What? Blond, hot, and a dork?" Nico asked.  
"I am not a dork!" Will defended himself. Nico just shook his head and looked at the blond expectantly.

"I think he's waiting on an answer," Michael spoke from beside Will, who seemed to be in shock.  
"Oh! Yes! I want to be your boyfriend too," Will said once he regained his voice.  
"Good because I have been wanting to do this for far too long," Nico told him as he pulled him into a hug and connected their lips.

Will's siblings, along with everyone else who was watching, including all of his friends, let out a cheer as the two boys kissed. Neither even heard the cheers and hollers. They had vanished into their own world where they were the only two.

The kiss ignited a fire in them that would never be extinguished.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations-
> 
> "E 'stato un inferno," *it was hell*
> 
> "Non essere come quel figlio," *don't be like that son*
> 
> Vai all'inferno! *go to hell*
> 
> Nico il mio amore," *my love*
> 
> "Non ho chiesto per voi da tradurre," *I didn't ask for you to translate it*
> 
> "Sei uno stronzo," *You're an asshole*
> 
> "Lingua," *Language*
> 
> The song Nico sang-  
> *Go to sleep, go to sleepy  
> In the arms of your mother,  
> Go to sleep, lovely child,  
> Go to sleepy, child so lovely,  
> Go to sleep, go to sleepy  
> In the arms of your mother.*
> 
> A/N: First off I would like to start by saying THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SHORT ONE SHOT! I got super invested and ended up with this huge beast. It took me like a month but I finally finished it. I would also like to say that I wrote almost all of this before Trials of Apollo came out. The last like 5,000 words I had written after finishing the book. I just have say that I might have marked every time Nico talked or was mentioned. I am totally in love with the Prince of Darkness. Anyway, I had a blast writing this. I hope that you guys enjoy this as much as I did. I just can't get over pierced and tattooed Nico, like I need it in my life!
> 
>  
> 
> Also, a huge thanks to Becca and Vanessa for both going over and being my betas. They fixed all my mistakes and gave me great feedback. I love you guys!


End file.
